Disclaimer: Don't own YYH.

Chapter 4: Flight After Fight

My breath catches in my throat. It's impossible to judge how long I have been standing here. Instead of going slow, the world has speeded up to an incalculable rate. I don't even try to follow it. All I know is me, my trailer, and the body before me.

I shut my eyes. I revisualize the hit I just made. Could it have been lethal?

I open my eyes and stare down at my dad. My doorknob is still resting on his head where it made the final blow.

I can also feel a wetness on my fingertips.

I really did it.

I really, truly killed someone.

How can this be?

Did I really…?

No.

No, he can't be dead. Probably just unconscious. Right? I mean, a blow like that wouldn't have killed him, I mean, get real.

But…and yet…

I did.

I killed.

Tonight, June the 14, I, Kara Azhura, killed.

I stare into space, disbelieving.

I killed.

I'm a murderer.

I don't even deserve to live.

My quivering fingers drop the doorknob.

Something to distract myself with…

I look around wildly. Okay, there's the door…there's the remains of the TV…there's the couch…all is as it should be…this is so not working.

Think, think…

Out.

The word hits me suddenly with impressive force. Of course! I'm still trapped! How will I survive in here? I mean, I have the money to get food and all that, but it is under my hedge, and most importantly, OUTSIDE.

Moving away from my father, I go for the door several steps away, high-stepping so as not to trip on anything else. Damnit, if I hadn't tripped, I might have been able to avoid my dad and none of this would have happened!

I can feel the hot air seeping in through the hole. Using what little light the stars yield from OUTSIDE, I stick my hand through and feel around the front of the door. Maybe there's something out there that can help me escape.

My fingers scrape bare, flat wood. Damn! Nothing is in reach that can help me!

I move my fingers far to the left, stretching…

Ting.

The doorbell!

I feel a sudden relief at the sound. My ringing it was what prevented my strangulation.

But wait…

If the doorbell is outside…

And I was in here…

No, wait, calm down, think this over.

I run through lots of possibilities, some even as wild as sticking my hand through and hitting it when I was slammed up.

But in the end, there's no way I could have touched that bell while inside.

Then how could I have rung it?

I just assumed that the force of me hitting the door made it sound, but that wouldn't make sense – only the door and maybe some of the framing directly next to it would be affected. Not the wall next to the door. And I am not very heavy anyway.

So then…

Someone rang my doorbell.

I feel a sudden surprise, quickly followed by fear. No one ever called for me. And I mean no one ever called for me. Most of my nearest neighbors just think that I come here to crash every now and then, and that this place is usually uninhabited.

An awful thought hits me. Is that thing or person that rang my doorbell still out there? Watching me, even?

I take some even, calming breaths. I'll get out of this, but only if I don't lose my head.

Focus simply on getting out.

Taking down my dad may have secured my immediate problem, but it did nothing for my escape.

Sighing, I withdraw my hand. Even my lock picking skills are good for zilch if there's no knob. The knob is what makes the clockwork turn.

Clockwork.

Hey, can't I do that? Can't I just turn it manually?

I put my finger in the wood between the outside and inside layer. I do indeed feel a tiny hole, where the doorknob probably was inserted into.

Using my pinky finger, my smallest one, I reach in, guiding my finger through. At least the hole is big enough for me to get through, although the miniscule tunnel gets smaller and smaller, compressing my finger tip more and more. I can hear lots of mechanisms moving. That's natural.

I finally feel a telltale little click inside. Good. I know enough about locks to know that this is where I need to be.

Now, if this is a normal lock, all I have to do is turn in clockwise, so then it'll trip that switch…

I give my finger a little twist, spraining it in the process, but I do know that I succeeded when I hear a different, louder click from the lock.

Now comes the trickiest part. If I had a knob, it would be a matter of turning it and getting free. But as I don't, I'm going to have to do things a step up from normal.

The first thing is to stick my finger back in the hole and turn it manually. That part is relatively simple. I stick in my pointer finger, and rotate it counterclockwise very carefully.

Now is the hardest of parts. I have to pull open the door while my finger is still in that position. This is going to be very crucial. If I pull open the door and let go too soon, the door will jam and I'll have even a harder time to trying to decode it.

Here's goes all of my klepto skills. Nice to see that they were actually handy for something other than breaking the law.

I put my other hand, my left, through the hole so that the hand is sticking outdoors. Then, I grab the edge of the hole and tug inwardly.

The door doesn't open, despite all of my efforts.

I curse loudly and clearly. What am I doing wrong?

I jam my finger in harder, and try again. Still nothing.

What the hell???????

This should have worked!

I did everything right! Flicked the lock to unlock it, held it in place, and pulled.

Oh my god. I am such a RETARD!

I stick my finger in violently and push open the door.

I am such a moron. Pulling the push door…honestly…

At first I almost think it didn't work. But then, with a noisy annoyed screech, it slides open.

Yes! I really did something right!

Making sure to hold the door open, I glance around behind me. Nothing else, right? Nothing is inside that I need to take with me.

Finally satisfied, I practically fly outside, landing on a corner of my hedge and stabbing myself. Oh yeah…can't forget that little thing now, can I?

I start to walk, edging around my thorny "friend," go through the secret entrance, ignoring the more scrapes I get in the process. Once in the center, I start to dig ferociously.

After several minutes, I touch something hard and flat. There is my suitcase.

It's a rather unassuming piece of junk, but you won't find something more valuable.

I laugh quietly. This dirty, grimy, maroon suitcase easily contains hundreds of thousands of U.S. money at least. The actual suitcase, once a fine handsome enormous 18x36x3 foot piece of leather manufacturing, now costs a dollar if it's lucky. And this little baby holds all of the fruits of my labor.

I start to lift it from its grave, but stop in the middle.

I know I'm going to have to run, there's no question. I certainly can't stay here. But should I take these things with me?

If I do, I'll be set for anything ahead.

No. I cannot risk it. If I get mugged while on the road, and this suitcase is taken…I'll never recover. I'll be reduced to begging, not having the strength to steal.

Not able to steal! For me, that's an awful thought! Where would I be without larceny?

And I'm saving this money anyway. Sighing, I place it back and recover it with damp earth. At least if it's here, then I won't have to worry about anybody finding it. Who's going to go into my thorny old rhododendron, anyway?

But I think again. I don't know. I should probably carry around 300 dollars or so, just in case.

I dig it out yet again, peer inside with pride at the layers upon layers of bills, and take out 6 50 dollar ones.

I stare at my trailer through the tangles of brambles. I guess I'm set.

After much grunting and tugging, I worm myself out of my fortress. Standing up again, and wincing, I look myself over. Aside from my sprained pinky and scratches, I am bruised almost everywhere, and I wonder why I can barely stand. And I'm going to have to walk in this mess. At night, literally adding insult to injury!

I groan, and start to walk, putting the money in my pocket, giving me slight reassurance. Where am I supposed to go?

I mean, I know which way the main town is. I am only about a football field away from it. I could always go to an inn, but I'd prefer not to, as that would get rid of my money supply faster than a racecar. Maybe even two racecars.

So where can I go?

Here – no. I'll be blamed for at least assault. I feel suddenly nauseous, as what I did comes back to me.

Inns and Hotels – I only have 300 bucks! Average – no, below average - hotel rates are way too high for me to afford.

Stay with actual people – How many nice people like that do you find nowadays, anyway?

The streets – Yeah, sure. Get abused and dragged into some alley by some enormous drunken idiots…and I wouldn't be able to fight them off, judging by the state of my body as of now.

Where, then?

I sit down, because my knees were caving in anyway, and I start to think with my eyes closed. Eventually I slip into dreamy meditation, occasionally considering stuff every now and then, although not seriously. My thoughts are just becoming more and more shallow. Maybe a little R&R will help me think, you know?

Just as I am keeling over, I suddenly feel something wiz by me like lightning. I can feel a very thick cloth touch my cheek.

I jump, yelp slightly, and stand up very quickly. I spin 360 degrees quickly, then I do another rotation more slowly so I can scan my surroundings better.

Whew. I don't see anything…

I keep my guard up.

I use my voice, rusty from disuse.

"What are you?"

No response.

I'm surprised how croaky I sound. "Are you the thing that rang my bell?"

Still nothing.

I know I felt something. I know it. So…what is it? What can move that fast?

It's settled.

I don't know where I'm going, but I sure ain't staying and sleeping here.

…Hiei…

I watch her leave at a run. That's definitely her. The green tipped brown hair, the eyes, the build, everything is all there.

I pull out my Commir, and speak into it "Yusuke."

He answers. "What?" He asks excitedly, wincing as he wobbles his neck brace.

I shrug. "Well, that's our girl. I watched her get herself out. Truly amazing, for a ningen. She definitely has the mark of one who has been playing with locks for a long time."

"Is she still there?"

"No. She just left for the town."

There was a minor curse from the other end. "Where in the town?"

"I don't know. I'll follow her."

"Good. And try to get her. I don't care if you can't touch her, just get her here."

The Commir on Yusuke's end switches off, but it's already in my pocket. Stupid bossy ningen!

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A/N Well, there's your connection, reviewers. Kara is needed for something by the gang. But what? Review please I don't care if you hate it, I just want a review or two from you. Flames accepted as always as long as they have what you liked in with it. And be honest, seriously! I don't want you saying you love my story if you don't. And you know how I said Kara looks a lot like me? My What Happened To My Life's main character Katrina is who I want to look like. And that's yet another fun fact.

Well, as I'm done babbling, thank you to all of my reviewers, don't abandon me now!