Chapter 9: Dodge
The small group sat on the floor of the lobby. They didn't know what else to do. Should they go and search for Hatori? It sounded like a very dangerous thing to do at the moment. But… what if he was in trouble? What if he needed their help right now? "Damn, I hate this," growled Kyo.
"What about all this do you hate?" questioned Haru.
"All of it!"
"Why don't you shut up?" offered Hiro.
"Why don't you!"
"Uh," said Tohru, "please don't fight."
This only resulted in Kyo and Hiro glaring at her, their anger and frustration getting the better of them.
"Stop that," snapped Yuki. "You shouldn't glare at her like that."
"Oh yeah!" growled Kyo, though deep down he did regret making Tohru feel bad. "Well, what else can we do, damn rat! Hatori's lost in this damn mansion somewhere and there's no way we can help him cuz we don't know where he is!"
The violet-eyed boy looked down. "I know..."
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The silver blade, painted red with the life of Shigure and Ayame, came swiftly at him, barely missing him as he quickly moved out of the way. "Almost got you, Hatori." Akina grinned at him slightly, insanity controlling her every action.
"Don't remind me," replied the doctor. What was he going to do? How was he going to be able to get the weapon out of her hands? He had to think of something, and fast. "Ah..!"
He held his bleeding arm; she got him that time. It stung painfully, but he couldn't think too much on it as he avoided getting hit a second time, the blade very close to cutting his leg. This wasn't good. He couldn't take much more of this.
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Haru sighed as he glanced at everyone. "I'm gonna look for Hatori," he said simply.
Yuki was the first to try and stop him. "Don't. With your luck, you'll end up getting lost, too."
"Maybe, but I'm not gonna let a really bad sense of direction stop me. Besides, if Hatori does need help, then I should be the one to help him. I'm starting to get used to the way this place was built. It has many secret passageways that can take you pretty much anywhere in the mansion."
Kyo was quiet for a few more moments before saying, "Let Haru go. If anyone can find Hatori in a place like this, it's gonna be Haru."
Yuki still seemed a bit uneasy about it, but nodded in agreement. "Just be careful, alright, Haru?"
The cow smiled at him. "No need to worry 'bout me, Yuki. I'll be sure to keep myself safe; I promise." And with that, he left the group in search of Hatori, wondering where he could be.
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Laughing slightly, Akina smiled at the bleeding dragon. She had struck him about three more times, knowing that he was starting to slow down and wouldn't be able to dodge much longer. "Look at you, Hatori. You're about to die, just like Shigure and Ayame. At least you'll all be together again soon, right?"
Hatori didn't answer, though. He just wanted out of this losing situation. The knife came at him once again; he avoided the blow, but only by just a few inches. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
"Just surrender, Hatori. Make things easy for yourself for once."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll never surrender to a murderer like you."
"Wow. Bookworm has got some courage after all. Or maybe it's just foolishness." The young woman held up her blade once more, preparing perhaps a final strike. "It will all be over soon."
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Haru looked in every room he came across. Where was Hatori? The usually calm, sometimes insane, teen was starting to get really worried. "Hatori," he said aloud, as if hoping the man would hear him, "where the hell are you?"
He received no answer from the many empty rooms. He continued walking, desperately now, wanting to see his friend and relative again... alive.
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The lobby's occupants were quiet, staying right where they were so that no one else would get lost. Kisa was starting to cry, wanting to go home and be away from here. Hiro was doing his best to comfort her. Kyo was trying hard not to show how much pain he was in, but it was actually kind of difficult. "You okay, Kyo?"
He looked up at Tohru as she sat next to him. "I'm fine," he told her.
She didn't look convinced, though. "You know, Kyo.. it's okay if you're in pain. I would actually be surprised if you weren't in any pain at all."
Hearing her words made him believe it was okay, but there was no way he was going to show any kind of weakness in front of Yuki. Suddenly wondering where the rodent was, he glanced around the lobby before finding him talking to Ritsu about who knows what. It looked like the rat was trying to calm the monkey down. Knowing that Yuki wouldn't have time to pay attention to him for awhile, Kyo let his guard down, his pain getting the better of him. It was okay. It was okay to show how you truly felt. It was okay...
Chapter Nine... End
A/N: Sorry about the long wait and all that. I didn't have any ideas for it for a long time, and then I sort of forgot about it. Sorry, people. You guys have some good reviewers to thank for the update. So, be sure to give a big thanks to them.
And next time I don't update for a super long time... e-mail me at the e-mail address in my profile. You can also e-mail me just to say hi or something. Oh yeah, I also have stories on www . nfiction . com under the pen names Vampire Lover and Raven of Darkness Shadows. I also have original fics on www . fictionpress . com under the pen name Zetsuya. Also on the two sites, I have stories that I'm working on with my coauthor, and our pen name on both sites is Rose Raven.