...making-up for my delay :)
CHAPTER 12
The Lost Girls
-o-
"AOIIIIIIIIII!"
"So-sorry Mikan-chan…" she apologized. I don't know if I will still believe her. Look at us now. We ended up here in a cliff-side road with old wood signs and the rough texture of the road that suggests that this is one of the rarely-taken paths and to make things worse, the sky joins the fun by coming together to form a dark obese rain-source.
"How on earth did we end up here? I thought we're heading for the Pink Garden!" I asked her in a tensed tone.
"Correction, MIkan-chan… its Pink Rose Garden…" she even dared reply!
"Whatever…" I said, turning on my heel to walk away. I clicked my tongue in dismay. Right… what direction? I don't even know this place. "Let's call them!" I started digging my pocket for my phone.
Oh darn, I think I left it in my room. "Aoi, call them now…" I told her, feeling the panic on my neck.
"I don't have it now." She said. Gosh, I want to freak out! Why of all moments, now! "I'm sorry I chanted the wrong password." She pouted.
"Even warpholes have passwords now? I totally can't believe this anymore!" I shook my head in disappointment. "We have to go back." I started walking away but I stopped midway when I heard Aoi shrieked.
"Aaaaah! Uck, get off me! Go away!"
Alright, I smell danger.
"Shhh! I will beee genchtle, o-o-okay? Hik!" said a short bald guy. He was already holding Aoi in both shoulders.
"Hey you deodorant guy!" I called out at him. I can't think of anything to call a short, fat, bald and neck-less guy but a deodorant bottle. "Hands off!" I added, but my wrist was caught by a tall, dark and… well… very ugly guy.
"I caught one too djude! Hihihihi! Hik. Naish catch hihihihi…" the tall guy said. I stopped getting my hands back because it just hurts me more and started planning on what to do. Aoi never stopped shouting and shrieking like a freaking fire truck siren as if anyone would hear her. But this guy who's holding me started nearing his face to mine so I staggered to push him away. "Flaying hard cho getch, huh mishy?"
"Get lost you castrated creature!" I was almost growling.
"Whoa… whoa… cashtrated huh?" they both laughed. "You wanna see? Huh? You wanch me to provsh am not cashtrated!" he asked, the bald one kept on laughing with his double chin bouncing. I have to keep my face away from him or I'll get drunk too with his out-of-this-world breath and I don't want to be showered too by his spit.
"No thanks." I retorted. "But it's sad you still have your balls on…" I started estimating the move that I will make, slowly planting my feet on the ground for my balance.
"Hahaha you're a funny yeydy! Whahahaha!" he said.
"Yeah! 'Cause I'm giving you a reason to get castrated later!" and with that I jumped and aimed a kick on his vertex. If you don't know what a vertex is, use your imagination because I don't like to use the word.
The guy became a worm on the ground, crouching at his hurting part with a duck pout. I kind of pitied him but I don't have time to think of any 'instant' part to target in this kind of situation. I lifted my head up to find the other one laughing. Yes, laughing. By now, Aoi seemed to be more scared to be infected by the craziness virus than being raped by a drunkard.
I gave her a relaxed shrug. "He's drunk. What more do you expect?"
"Djrunk? Hoosh djrunk? Am not djrunk!" then he gulped the remaining contents of the gin he's holding and threw the bottle on a rock, which, broke into pieces in a crashing sound that made us both flinch. He adjusted his feet into a fighting stance. I don't know if I'll feel scared or what. "A layk flaying hard-cho-get girlsh! Whahahah!" and then he started to attack me. I was actually surprised! He can punch! "Am a former bocsher! I'll get chu two!"
TUGSH!
Oh dear… so much for a former boxer to be knocked down in a simple punch.
"Yay Mikan-chan! You're incredible!" Aoi cheered and hugged me. Now, I'll deal with her.
"That's not incredible!" I started, "We're just lucky that they're drunk. What if they're not?"
"I'm sorry…" she repeated the apology, head-down.
"We're going back." I said, and I mean it. I don't know what else is here and I don't feel safe.
"No!"
"What?" I can't believe it. She said 'no'? "You just witnessed two idiots trying to harass us and you—"
"Because I want to see Yo-chan! That's why I don't want to go back yet!" she said, tears starting to form in her eyes. Yo-chan? Is that… Youichi Hijiri? He's the only one being called like that.
"And you'll meet him here?"
"Yes…" she said, taking out a small, round thing. "My radar said it's here… so I was thinking about it and that's why the warp hole led us here…"
I felt my knees weakened. She did it intentionally all along! My mouth was open but no words would come out.
"I'm really sorry. I'm not really planning to involve you in this. I was actually planning to ask you to go out so I can escape while you buy me time because I really want to see Youichi… but there's an opportunity a while ago…"
"So it's really Youichi Hijiri?" I asked her… of all questions.
"I like him… since forever…" she said, blushing.
My eyes widened. "Are you some kind of an imprinting werewolf? He's just a kid!"
"Yes, but he's growing up sometimes!"
I was about to retort but a truck is about to pass and I really think we should hitch. I raised a thumb to indicate my intention. Luckily, the driver stopped.
"Dove siete diretti verso, signorinas?" the old guy asked.
"A Moncenisio, Signor!" I screamed against the loud roar of the machine's engine, grabbing Aoi by the hand.
"Hop in!" the man replied. I climbed in first and offered a hand to Aoi. She hesitated.
"Let's get out of here first, then I'll help you see him. I promise." I told her and she finally took my hand and climbed in beside me.
The driver was Italian so my conversation with him was limited. It was Aoi who enjoyed the old man's story more because she can understand him fully well. He said that the road where we met is already abandoned. There's an old tavern below it where those kinds of idiot usually hang around, so that makes the place really dangerous especially for ladies like us. We're lucky he passed by. He took the road because it's a shortcut to his next stop.
Finally, we reached the place where the driver will deliver his goods. Aoi nudged me to accompany her in finding a comfort room to pee. The kind guy promised to wait for us in case he'll get in the truck first so I agreed on Aoi's request.
"I'm done!" she said. I decided to go inside to pee too.
"Wait for me…" I told her before going inside.
I was already doing my thing when Aoi spoke again, "Mikan-chan, are you still mad at me? I'm sorry…"
"Let's talk about it later…" I said and started pouring water on the toilet bowl.
"Hey red-eyed girl…" I coarse voice suddenly said. "Come with us willingly or you'll get hurt."
That left me almost unmoving. I peeped at the small hole at the wooden door to find not just one big guy but several of them!
"Mik—"
She was not able to speak because the other guy threatened her with a knife under her chin. "Don't try to fight… It will be—"
He was not able to finish his speech because the door which I just kicked forcibly hit his face and the other guy on the side of his head. It was all so sudden. The adrenalin on my body rushed like a flashflood when I saw the other guy who's already charging at Aoi with the knife. I missed to hit the guy and it will be too late so I took Aoi into an embrace so I can bring us both away from the guy's line of attack.
It was all a blur and the next thing I saw after a blink is a splatter… of blood.
"Mikan-chan!" Aoi screamed. It was so loud it almost deafened me. But I was still standing.
And then I noticed my arm. It was injured.
The guy was about to attack us again and my defense instincts just went crazy that I don't know what's going on. Everything's becoming blur and vertically stripped and I can feel a strong wind around me.
"Aoi, hold on to me!" I shouted. Aoi immediately hugged me and then everything started to move so fast. And the next thing I knew… we're not in that place anymore.
"Was that… teleportation!" Aoi asked.
My mind's blank. "I don't know. I don't even know how it happened." I said, absent-mindedly.
"Mikan-chan, you can teleport!" Aoi shook me. She accidentally grabbed the other arm which was just injured.
"Ouch Aoi!" I winced. The blood's still rushing out and the cut seems deep. I think I need to be treated before I run out of blood. I just hope there are no vampires here or we're surely dead.
"So-sorry…" she said, and pulled a hanky from her dress' pocket. "Here…" then she tied it around my wound. It was immediately drenched in blood but it still helped. I noticed a pair of embroidered letters—N and H. Somehow… it felt familiar.
"'N, H'…" I mumbled. I don't know but the letters just seems… familiar.
"Yeah, that's my brother's initials." Aoi said, beaming at me. I tried to calm my mind down so I can concentrate on putting my strength on walking.
...
…It would be a shame if my fiancé will be using such a trash. Good Luck. N.H.
…Thanks polka. Here's your coffee. I'm paid. N.H.
...
My head's hurting again—the same 'brain-should-work' headache.
"Mikan-chan?" she called on me. I guess she noticed when I winced and pressed a hand on my spinning head.
"It's just a sudden headache… it'll… pass later. We need a place to stay, Aoi." I looked around to survey the area. We're in a grassy area near a cliff. There's a narrow wooden bridge that ends on the other side. I don't know where exactly to go but as I roam my eyes behind me, I can say that where we stand is nearer to a forest.
I was about to say my suggestion out loud when Aoi let out a sound of euphoria. "Speaking of Onii-chan… I know this place!" she exclaimed, and I must admit that I felt a little relieved even in the back of my mind, I'm starting to doubt her again. "We're just a bridge away from Onii-chan's place!" she added.
"Your brother's…"
"Yes! Let's go!" she run to my side and helped me walk. We're lucky that we're thin enough to fit on the bridge to stay side-by-side or I'll have to sway until we reach the other side. My right leg's hurt too, so I really need Aoi this time for support. "I really wonder how we ended up here when you teleported. Do you know this place, Mikan-chan?"
"Huh? I… No…" I stammered. She's got a point. When my brother Sakurano taught me the techniques in teleportation, he mentioned that the only places where one can teleport are the places which are familiar to that person. Or sometimes, you have to think of a person, and then you will end up to the place where the person is. "This doesn't make sense. I don't know this place…" I said, still analyzing everything. Or maybe, since I'm stupid as they call me, I missed a detail.
"It's okay. At least we're close to a safe place." Aoi said with a smile. But the smile just faded into a sad face.
"I'm sorry Aoi… you we're not able to see Yo-chan…"
"No, it's me who needs to apologize. Look at you now…" she paused. "You got hurt because of me. I wasn't thinking and got you into my mess…"
I don't want to add anything to make her feel sadder than she is. I can see now how guilty she is and sincere with her apologies. I tried thinking of a light topic to discuss and ended up with the most stupid one. "So you like Youichi-chan that much?" it was all I can ask her. And to think it was stupid, she smiled widely like nothing happened.
"Yeah…" she blushed. "I know he's much younger that me but when he turns into a big boy… ayyyyyyy…" she acted like fainting in a daydream. Oh dear God, this must be the effect of the silly reality TV shows with flirty teens in it. In short, *PBB Teens.
"But you don't need to act to this extent just to see him. Why don't you just tell your family about this and arrange a visit with Yo-chan's family?" I asked.
"As you can see Mikan-chan, I'm engaged with another guy. Some of my guards are hired by his family so anything about meeting other guys is closely watched. The Hijiri's are also playing safe. They don't want to mess up with the Igarashi's so they transfer Youichi's location every now and then just to prevent me from seeing him. I even hired and paid Hotaru Imai a high price just to invent a Yo-radar for me." She explained. I can't believe how this world spins with the weight of all the people's craziness.
"Why don't you just cancel your engagement and tell them that you like Yo-chan?"
"They think it's crazy. They think I'm ridiculous because he's just a kid so that will never be easy." She said sadly.
"Yeah, that's my point—He's a kid." I said and Aoi glanced back at me with a sad but scary face as if we're in Neverland and I just mentioned the word 'never'. "Okay, sorry for that…" I gave her an apologetic shrug, scared that she'll be so pissed to push me off this bridge. "So… what does Youichi feel about this?"
"When he's a kid, we're playmates, but when he's a grown up…" she paused to smile sweetly. I'm already having stomach lurches with her reactions for heaven's sake. "We're having mutual feelings…"
"How'd you know it's mutual?" I asked.
She shrugged first with a little shake, as if chilling. "Ahihihi, I just know."
"Owwwwwkaaaayyyyyy…" I actually want to whip her head but what else can I say? She's too in-love to wake up from her fantasies. A load roar of thunder distracted us and I noticed that we finally crossed the bridge. "Aoi we need to hurry up. It's starting to rain." And as if trying to emphasize what I just said, the rain started pouring down.
"This way…" she said, leading me through the tall trees. The chill of the wind against my wet clothes are making me weaker but I have to stay awake. I know Aoi can't carry me if I faint here again.
"How'd you know this place?" I tried to sound normal even if my voice's already shaking.
"I designed his house so I surveyed the place before. I know it should be here…" she answered, her voice also shaking. "I can see it!" she said. A wave of relief rushed in my blood but it didn't add anything up to my deteriorating strength. My eyes started to sting so I can't see what she's pointing at clearly.
It's black and white… and glasses. And I think… I've been in that… place…
"Mikan chan!" I can hear Aoi, but I can't feel anything anymore. I must've fallen.
"Aoi…" I moaned. "Just straighten my body… I'll try to… walk… but I can't—achoo!" I sniffed. And now I've got a cold too. "I can't open my eyes anymore… just lead me there… I just need a little rest and I'll be fine." I told her, forcing me knees to move.
"Hang on, we're just steps away…" she said. I know I'm putting on my weight on her already that's why our pace is slow. But suddenly, I can't feel the water on my skin although I can still hear it. Maybe we're on a shaded area now. I tried opening my eyes but they're so heavy. I felt my body slowly being laid on a concrete wall. I heard a buzzer after some seconds and Aoi kept on yelling.
My senses… they're starting to be numb.
I can't feel anything.
"Mikan-chan!" it was Aoi's scream. It was the last that I've heard.
I'm starting to be excited about the next chapters!
So PUH-LEASEEEE do review =(^_^)=
Thank you so much!
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