Chapter Seven-Bleeding
Rei collapsed on the bed beside Kira after a rough weekend of hard work. Nothing seemed sweeter than spending time with his significant other, nothing else mattered. He smiled in sweet satisfaction. He had waited all his life for this, after a life of wrecklessness and live free attitude he finally had something to care about. It terrified him sometimes to think about how life was, if he lost Kira the same way he lost Sei…
He almost jumped out of the bed when he felt Kira's hand stroke his hair.
"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Just had a rough day at work and now I'm all sore."
"Where?" Kira asked massaging his shoulders. Rei sighed. The feeling was complete bliss and relief. The kind of thing that could take anything off his mind.
"Everywhere." Rei replied with a small grin on his face. Kira chuckled and kissed his shoulder tenderly.
"I know what's bothering you, Rei, what's always on your mind. You don't have to be afraid for me anymore."
"What do you mean?" Rei asked in small surprise.
"I quit my job." Kira said with a small smile. As Rei looked at her in great relief he thought that he also could see traces of the same calmness cross through her eyes.
"Why, Kira?"
"Keiji is too. She says her other job is paying better."
"So it has to do with her."
"Well I asked and she's considering it."
"I'm happy for you. That big contest is coming up soon isn't it?"
"Yes. The deadline is in June."
"That's only a month away."
"I'm not worried. If she declines I can always use you again."
Rei smiled and pulled Kira in close to him and took her lips with his own.
"I love you, Rei."
"Kira…"
I love you…
Suddenly a sharp ringing hit Rei's ears and with sharp irritation he struggled to ignore it. Kira wrapped her arms around his neck and he suddenly knew it would be easier than he thought. It went off into silence as Kira and Rei shared tender loving kisses, held forever in eachother's arms, where no one could reach them…
The answering machine clicked on and Rei's eyes widened.
Rei,I know you're there…
"He wants you to do what?" Harumi repeated in astonishment.
"Rei's father wants us to come live with him." Kira explained walking down the crowded hallways to the next class she shared with Harumi and Tatsuya.
"What was Rei's reaction?"
Kira pondered, her eyes no longer seeing the school floors but the scene when Rei picked up the phone.
Rei, I want to talk to you, I want you to come home…
"He doesn't know what to think, though his feelings haven't changed at all. I think he agreed to see him, but then that might be only because he helped Rei stay with me."
Harumi nodded in understanding, reviewing the past few months of drama between Kira and her father. Sighing, she was relieved that it was finally over.
"Let's talk about something more uplifting. Like when are you guys gonna set a date?"
"To tell you the truth I haven't really thought about it." Kira admitted, blushing.
"Well hurry up and decide will ya?" Harumi joked. "I want to see what your kids look like!"
The approaching summer heat grew with every passing day. Keiji lifted a heavy beam onto her back supported by three other men. Sweat dripped from her face like a leaking fountain. I should've brought more water, she thought to herself. When the metal was set in place she began the process to seal it in place. Only two more hours would pass before she could retreat and complete her homework assignments. Graduation as a freshmen seemed like an eternity. Now it was approaching faster than Keiji could draw breath. What will I do? She wondered. Will I continue this back breaking labor and just simply exist or…what will happen…?
It had felt as if she were only existing. She had cut off any relation she had with Masao but something told her in the back of head that it would not be so easy. It was time to move on with her own life. The past was gone and that's all it was. There was nothing left to make wish it existed in the present.
Keiji took a deep breath after swallowing half her water bottle's contents. Her muscles ached and her stomach tightened with newly born muscles. This job had it's benefits, but it also absorbed all the strength she had so when night rolled around, homework was impossible.
At the thought of school, Keiji's face cringed. She had to work harder to graduate, but it wasn't easy to live on your own, especially with no one there to help you.
"Hey Keiji, you're needed up top, let's go."
"Right." The brunette sighed gazing at the top of the tall metal skeleton like structure.
She swiftly climbed to the top as a large crane was lifting a new beam to the top of the structure. Taking a elevator pulley most of the height, Keiji arrived at the top within a minute. Carefully walking across the beam her gaze met with a strange figure on the streets appearing to be watching the girl. Keiji's breath caught in her throat.
Suddenly a shrill scream of a human clashing with metal reverberated across the evening sky and birthing panic in the worker's hearts. Keiji quickly glanced to her right and froze in horror as the men lost grip of the beam. With a sickening thud, Keiji lost her sight as it collided with a row of bodies aiming right for a tall blonde young man. Keiji recognized him and immediately and leapt for the man. As the beam slid closer towards them, screeching metal and crushed bodies ran through her ears as they fell to their deaths.
He seemed unaware of the situation with his eyes fixed on something below. Keiji quickly grabbed his arm and jumped off the structure. The beam slid within seconds to where Keiji had just stood and it too lost momentum, balance and fell quickly to the earth below.
A thrilling sensation went through Keiji's body as she fell quicker and quicker towards the bottom. Then she realized that her fate would be no better if she could not save this man's life. Desperately her hand stretched over her head to grab the next floor, anything to prevent her fall. Her hand connected with the thin edge of the structure's skeleton. Her hand gripped hard and would not let go.
She looked below her and saw to her horror that the blonde man had passed out. Gravity was taking its tole and Keiji knew it wouldn't be long…
Carefully she swung his body back and forth, trying to get it perfectly over the structure wide edge to safety. Her fear heightened as her sweat began to weaken her grip. She cried out as she swung his limp body once again, but to no avail. Her hand began to slip and her heart became the drum in her ears.
There's no one but myself. Keiji told herself. Her hand had lost three centimeters of grip…
With one last desperate attempt the body reached the ledge. The weight that was lost broke her hold to the structure. Her shoulder collided with the ledge that had saved the man's life. Blood poured from her left arm and Keiji had lost all strength and momentum to take another hold. Swiftly she fell until her body crashed on the hard rock below. Her eyes blurred and her breath was taken away from her lungs. With one last breath she fell still as the rocks that crushed her bones.
I won't forget…how…to live…
Chapter Eight- Healing