Chapter 6

Shuu couldn't recall the first time his father hit him. Perhaps it was his instinct kicking in or maybe he was just too young when it first happened. Early, he resigned himself and became a shut-in with a tendency to become violent whenever some kids tried to bully him. At home, he wasn't able to protect himself or his mother but when he was outside he knew how to enforce his own rules. He always went after kids that were too soft to stand up for themselves and even those years ago he thought that it was partially because they reminded him of how pathetic and helpless he felt against the brute force of an adult man. And then one day, he and his buddies went after a kid who unexpectedly had a friend. For Shuu the way the human brain worked would always be a mystery because although he couldn't remember a large part of his childhood, at any given time of the day he was able to recall what happened that particular day at the playground. There was this tiny girl who not only stood up to them, she managed to win over them. He still could vividly recall the dangerous gleam in her bright green eyes and the sound of bones cracking in her wrist. The pain she must had felt then not only didn't stop her, but it also fuelled her sense of justice. She tripped him over and he hit the hard ground. Before he could grasp what was happening the girl's mother came... 'Tachibana defeated the evil. Is Mama proud?' were the words she said brightly clearly happy about her accomplishment. It was that very moment when he realised that at some point he became a mirror image of the man he hated the most.

It was a Friday evening when Midori decided to go for a walk. Recently it became a habit of his and a convenient excuse to avoid meaningless social gatherings that everyone around seemed to be pushing on him. He never understood why people were drawn to him and often he felt sorry for their lot because no matter how hard they tried they would never be able to make him curious enough. In general, the doctor didn't care about other people and wasn't interested in establishing any forms of connection no matter how flimsy they might have been. That was one of his rules of conduct as he mockingly called them in his mind. Laughing inwardly he stopped to look around. For a second he couldn't recognize the place and then a choked hard giggle escaped his mouth causing a few of passers-by to turn around and look at him. His aimless walk brought him to the very same club he visited weeks ago... 'Why am I here? Did I come here for her?' Against his own better judgement, he pushed the metal door and entered. Instantly his ears were assaulted by the low beats which he could feel vibrating in his lungs. It wasn't that late yet but some guests gathered already impatiently waiting for the show to start. Midori chose a table that was well-hidden from prying eyes but from which he had an unobstructed view at the stage. A waitress came by and so he ordered whisky on the rocks. He made himself comfortable and decided to wait. It didn't last long before music changed and all lights across the room were dimmed. In the spotlight, Hotaru started her dance. At first, her moves were prudent, mere whirls around the pole, and then with another guitar riff, she gained momentum before coming to a full-stop. She started moving again as he could hear the lyrics: 'Your cruel device, your blood like ice' The music speed up and Hotaru matched it, defying the laws of gravity with her every move... 'One look could kill, my pain, your thrill'. The voice rose louder and louder and she was now hanging upside-down, bending around the silver pole with a snake-like flexibility. 'I wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name', she was spinning faster and faster and he watched her fascinated by every change she made... The alcohol, the music, the lyrics of the song which fit his mood so perfectly... 'I wanna love you but I better not touch (don't touch), I wanna hold you, but my senses tell me to stop' The memory of the only kiss they ever shared and the idea of the kiss he would like to share now. 'I wanna kiss you, but I want it too much (too much), I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison'. He couldn't look away, he couldn't walk away, for some reason he felt as if he forgot how to breathe until the last note resounded and the round of applause filled the air. Perhaps it was just his imagination or rather wishful thinking but he could swear that in the dimmed light he saw the red thread of fate connecting him to the girl on the stage.

Next hit landed on Hotaru's stomach with a deadly precision, forcing the breath out of her lungs and causing her vision to darken for a bit. Instinctively she jumped away desperately trying to find a way out of this situation. The crowd around roared as if they were a bunch of beasts and not human beings. She crouched down avoiding the next jab by millimetres and finally managing to counter her opponent's attack. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Shuu. He wasn't screaming like everyone around her. No. It seemed that in this crowd there was no-one who would cheer for her. She felt metallic taste on her tongue and she knew that she probably bit her lip at some point. Again she dodged the punch and swung her own fist. And then she felt it, her fist connected landing a perfect blow on her opponent's face. The guy in front bent in half but she followed through with a high-kick which sent him flying and onto the railings. He then slowly slumped down onto the floor, clearly defeated. The room filled with a deafening howl of those who bet against her as she walked away from the ring and into the improvised changing room. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed quietly. Her bottom lip was cut, her entire body was battered and the knuckles on both of her hands had broken skin from all the punches she had delivered in the last couple of hours. The door behind her quietly opened and Shuu entered the room. Hotaru didn't look at him, not in a mood to see her childhood friend's face.

- You don't even look me in the eye these days – he whispered directly into her ear and then pressed his lips to her neck sucking lightly. Creeps ran down her spine from the touch, yet she didn't push him away. She couldn't. They were childhood friends and she would do anything to save him from himself.

Matsuoka was waiting for Hotaru in front of the orphanage she volunteered at. This weekend they were supposed to take part in one of the challenges Kamenashi-san mentioned when the mixed pairs were decided. Before that, they voted to go to the onsen as a team and to make it quicker he convinced her that it'd be best if he picked her up. Earlier that day he borrowed a car from one of his acquaintances and was now watching how the girl was finishing up the lesson with the kids living in the orphanage. They were sitting in the garden and singing songs. Hotaru with a guitar in her hands, smiling and humming, and all the kids dancing around her singing in high-pitched voices. Even from afar he could tell that she was happy and relaxed. That calmed him down a bit because for some time now he had been wondering about her. Yes, though it was barely visible in her everyday activities, he, without a fail, could tell that his Hotaru was worrying over something. Matsuoka wanted to ask but it was as if she could read his mind, every time diverting the topic of the conversation away from herself. He could press her for answers, yet he chose not to. Somehow he had this irrational thought that with Midori being so close to her, one slip up from his side and she would be whisked away by the Hoshishiro leader.

- Matsuoka-san, Matsuoka-san – she called for him and smiled warmly. When she was like this he really couldn't find it in himself to confront her about whatever was bugging her. He simply stretched out his hand and took the bag from her.

- Come on, Hotaru. The guys are waiting for us – it wasn't long before the teenager fell asleep in the passenger seat lulled by the steady sound of the engine and some quiet music they played on the radio. And so Masamune found himself glancing at her every so often feeling quite embarrassed every time his heart skip a bit.

Hotaru was sitting in the hot springs with her eyes closed, letting herself relax and her mind wander about. She could hear guys' voices on the other side of the bamboo wall and their cheerful banter made her happy. The last time they visited a place similar to this one she was still hiding her gender but thanks to that she could actually enter the men's bath. That wasn't the case any more yet she didn't have any regrets. Strangely enough, the moment her secret was out, she felt very happy and... light? Yes, it was as if some burden was lifted off of her shoulders and it was great to be herself around them. Yet now, again, she was hiding something important from them and for the second time in her life being close to her teammates caused her pain. She wasn't able to breathe freely always feeling as if some strange evil power was crushing her heart. Hotaru sighed deeply and then immersed herself in the hot water. The heat engulfed her making her feel safe. Somehow the hot water hid her shame and when she was under the surface she seemed to herself pure and innocent. When her lungs started to ache a little she emerged from the water and ever so slowly opened her eyes. In front of her unfolded the silver ocean. Several seconds had passed before she realised that she was gazing at a very familiar by now pair of grey orbs.

- Mid... - she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence because the man in front of her put his finger on her lips effectively silencing her.

- We wouldn't want people to know that I entered the women's bath now, would we? - he whispered against her lips and for some unspeakable reason, she felt even hotter than before. He then sat next to her, his arm touching hers and it brought back the memories from their last visit to the onsen. Hotaru inhaled deeply and looked up into the starry sky.

- Why are you here, Midori-san? - she said quietly giving him a somehow measured look. He chuckled slightly and looked at her with playful sparks glimmering in his gaze.

- I thought I'd keep you company, Hotaru-chan – the doctor looked like a small boy who just found his Christmas present in his parents' wardrobe.

- Was that a mistake on my part? - she averted her eyes but from the tone of his voice, she could still sense that he was smiling.

- Well, it will be if someone finds you here, Midori-san. How are you going to explain yourself then?

- I will worry when it comes to this, Hotaru. For now, I wanted to discuss with you tomorrow's stealth challenge - and as if it was the most natural thing to do he started explaining her some stuff about the practice the two of them should do. His quiet voice near her ear, the hot touch of his body where their skin met and the mischievous almost dangerous emotion that flickered in his eyes... Hotaru knew that she should have just up and leave the bath but for some reason, she couldn't. Instead, she sat comfortably and let the atmosphere of this quiet night engrossed her.

- My, my, Hotaru... Should you really be letting your guard down in front of your enemy? - Midori spoke softly in a hushed tone when her head dropped onto his bare chest. She fell asleep so soundly he decided against leaving her in the bath. Instead, he scooped her up delicately covering her naked body with his own towel. Oddly manoeuvring in the locker room he put on his yukata and gathered her stuff. He then sneaked out of the springs making sure to avoid any people. Hotaru shifted slightly in his arms so that her head was now lying in the crook of his neck with her lukewarm breath heating up the spot near his collarbone. Midori swallowed hard as the sensation of her weight and the smell of her skin overcame his senses. He knew exactly where her room was but feeling as if he was under some spell he decided against bringing her there. Instead, he took her to his room and ever so gently laid her in the futon that the hotel's staff prepared for him earlier. It was an odd but at the same time strangely desirable sight to look at. The young girl dressed in his towel which was too short to be considered a dress and too long to be a shirt, laying down in his futon, with her hair in disarray and lips parted. Midori took a deep breath and then laid down quietly next to her. He watched her closely, the long lashes and small straight nose. The lips that were so inviting and the pearl-like teeth he could see from behind them. Of course, he wouldn't do anything to her when she was like this so innocent and completely unarmed. But still, he wondered why exactly he had brought her here. It would be easier to just wake her up or if not, just carry her to her own room but no. For some mysterious reason, he took her here and was now tracing the curve of her cheek with the tip of his finger. He let his thumb slid down and play with her earnest lips. Then his right hand wandered down her arm, waist and landed safely on her hip. With a decisive movement, he pulled her close to himself but she only murmured quietly too deep into her slumber to understand what was happening. He rested his chin atop her head, cradling her small body with his and covering both of them with the piece of cloth. It was a warm summer night and he felt incredibly calm, hearing her steady breath next to him. He then fell asleep holding her tightly like a precious gem she was.

Hotaru opened her eyes slowly. She could swear she heard a cracking sound of her eyelids. It wasn't dark but at the same time, it didn't seem as if the sun was up already. She smiled slightly to herself quite happy that she managed to wake up so early in the morning. She felt so relaxed and she really enjoyed the sweet smell around her that had a more refined edge to it. Hotaru shifted trying to change her position and then she realised that she wasn't alone in the room. Next to her Midori-san was sleeping soundly, with a calm smile lingering on his lips almost as if he was dreaming about something nice. She looked around only to find out that the room she was in wasn't hers. For a moment she wanted to leave, no questions asked, ran as fast as she could so that she wouldn't have to face whatever this situation was. But then she looked at the man next to her, sleeping with his arms wrapped around her, holding her closely. It felt good. She felt safe and calm for the first time in weeks. It was odd at the same time because she just couldn't think of any good reason as to why he would bring her here. And he must have brought her here. There was no other option as she was certain that she didn't come here by herself. She really didn't know what to think about this. Hotaru knew that the doctor was dangerous to her in every meaning of this word. He was dangerous on the battlefield with his impossible strength and experience but it started to look like he was more and more dangerous to her in her everyday life. If guys knew that she had spent the night with him, even if it was the most innocent thing that could happen, they would be furious. That terrified her because as much as she wanted to learn from the man next to her, wanted to understand him and his ways, she was aware that would cause her relationship with her teammates to deteriorate. Was there any way for all of them to understand each other and accept that although there was no turning back to the days before Midori-san and Matusoka-san parted their ways, there was still a chance to build something new and different? Or was she being too naïve as always trying to force her own convictions onto other people? She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, she already made the decision. As slowly and quietly as possible, she got up and then felt her cheeks burning as she realised that the only thing she had on was a towel which probably belonged to the doctor. Hastily she collected all her stuff and darted out to the bathroom that conveniently was a part of this apartment. When the door shut behind her, she let a long deep sigh clearly lost and unable to comprehend what had actually happened. Quickly, she turned on the water and decided that a cold long shower would do wonders for her in her current condition.

Strong smell of fresh coffee woke him up but before he decided to stand up, he stretched his arms and legs in his futon. Midori felt relaxed yet somehow empty noticing immediately that his little guest wasn't there. For a moment, he considered what he would tell her once she brought this up but then decided against solving such difficult dilemmas so early in the morning. He got up and straightened the bedsheets making sure that everything looked neat and tidy. He then followed the smell of coffee which led him to the adjacent room but he stopped dead in his track as his mind tried desperately to catch up with the reality that was unfolding before his eyes. For some reason, he assumed that it would be his faithful Fujimon preparing the coffee for him but that wasn't actually the case. There in the kitchenette stood the girl dressed in a yukata he vaguely remembered collecting yesterday from the baths. She was brewing the coffee and next to her on the counter laid two plates with sandwiches and fried eggs. She must have felt his presence, her senses not failing her even outside of the battlefield.

- Good morning, Midori-san – she said simply neither her voice nor her gaze betraying what she was thinking about the strange situation he put them in.

- Good morning, Hotaru-chan – he replied with a smile and he truly felt that it was an honest one.

Hotaru was crouching behind a tree, hiding in the deep shadow which despite the hot and stuffy weather provided her with much-needed cover and cool. She was breathing slowly, concentrating her best efforts on keeping quiet so that her opponents couldn't locate her. The rules of the stealth challenge were simple enough: two teams entering the forest field, one fully armed, the other not. They were hunters and prey, and the goal was for the hunters to kill the prey before the time was up or before the other side finds the four artefacts. It would seem that the team which was supposed to play the role of the mark was at a disadvantage but that wasn't the case. The battlefield was vast with lots of places good for hiding and the ones being hunted had intercoms so that they were able to communicate with each other throughout the challenge. She was teamed up with Midori-san but they were going against the other members of Hoshishiro and Toy Gun Gun which felt awkward on so many levels. From where she was hiding, she could see Yukimura-san taking the position on top of a hill, scanning his surroundings through a scope. In front, a couple of yards away from her, she noticed Matsuoka-san walking slowly his posture tensed and on high-alert. Carefully, she started moving in that direction, when another silhouette caught her attention. Midori-san was standing in the shadow watching Matsuoka-san intensely. She was still far away but she got this melancholic feeling looking at the two former friends. It dawned on her that this scene was probably a good metaphor for their relationship, with Matsuoka-san searching desperately and Midori-san always hiding his heart and feelings behind a facade. She shook her head knowing that thinking about all of this now wouldn't do her any good.

- You should be more careful or else someone may find you – a quiet voice reached her and for a moment she thought that her reaction was a second too late when Haruka pointed his gun at her and pulled the trigger. But that wasn't the case. Her body reacted on its own, quick as a lightning and she was now running at full speed, with bullets hitting trees around her.

- Hotaru, report – the doctor's voice sounded loud in her ear, giving off the impression he was actually sitting in her head. Which to be fair wasn't that hard to imagine at this point.

- It's Haruka-san, he sneaked up on me – she hissed, her breath ragged from the run – I will lead him away, hopefully, the others will go after me as well. Please find the four remaining artefacts.

- Roger that. Don't do anything rash.

In situations like this, Hotaru thanked herself silently for the hours spent on running every day. It was an effort well invested as she was now fairly sure that she could be on the run for quite some time before her body would start to protest. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a dark ponytail between the trees and she stopped abruptly just in time to avoid the bullet that would have otherwise graced her head. She knew that there wasn't any time to waste so she jumped to the right and rolled over and down the hill. The slope looked less steep than it actually was and so she gained momentum and hit the rock at the bottom hard. A sharp pain ran across her ribs and Hotaru realised that she probably hit her freshly healed spot. There was no helping it. She ignored the pain and stood up flipping her body. Not thinking much, she started running again knowing that her only chance now, was to hide between the trees. She reached the tree-line at full speed bullets gracing the trunks around but luckily missing her altogether. The girl stopped, leaning against a tree and breathing heavily. Her ribcage hurt, and she felt the acid building up in her muscles. She really should have been more careful if she wanted to win this challenge. She looked at the watch and noticed that they were half-way through.

- Seven and a half minute left, Hotaru – Midori's voice startled her – How are you doing?

- I'm fine Midori-san. I think I lost them. Did you manage to find all the artefacts?

- I have three, one more to go.

- Do you know where the last one is, Midori-san? - she waited in tension for his follow-up but the person on the other side was completely silent. She figured he didn't want to speak to avoid giving his position to the opponents. The minutes passed by and she found herself worried:

- Midori-san? Are you there? Is everything... - someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her downwards. Her back hit a stone wall and she found herself pinned against the hard bricks. Before the panic could set in, the person in front of her cradled her face and made her look up.

- It's me, Hotaru-chan – Midori whispered against her lips – You took quite the fall from that hill. I just wanted to check on you – he continued apologetically.

- You shouldn't have! It's a mistake to put the two of us in one spot if they find us here, we are as good as dead! - she couldn't believe the man in front of her. How could he be so reckless? This was a rookie mistake which could potentially lead to them losing the match. And she didn't want that. Midori chuckled before ruffling her hair.

- Shhh, Hotaru-chan. It's alright. I got your back – he smiled reassuringly – And I know where the last artefact is.

- Where is it? - she murmured in excitement leaning closer to him in order to hear him better. Hotaru was angry with herself for being so giddy but she couldn't help that. The doctor looked at her and a mischievous gleam lit up his eyes. He then reached into his pocket and gestured at her to hold her palm open before him. She hesitantly did just that and then he placed something over her palm. The moment his skin touched hers, she felt as if an electric current ran through her body. The doctor must have felt the same sensation because he tensed for a moment before letting go of her hand. Hotaru looked at her palm and sighed. Four colourful stones were glittering in rays of sun that filtered through the crown of leaves above them. The girl felt her lips stretched into a smile. Without thinking she threw herself on the doctor, hugging him tightly and laughing aloud. She knew they had won and this was her way of thanking him for making that happen. Hotaru felt Midori-san's hands tighten around her waist as he brought her closer to him and pulled her up from her knees. For a moment, they stood there embracing each other and when she finally dared to look up, she saw him smiling brightly at her. In the next second, Midori put his hand below her chin and planted a gentle peck on her forehead:

- Thank you for playing with me, Hotaru-chan.

Matsuoka watched the two of them from afar. He saw Hotaru smiled, clearly happy that she had won. She was like a puppy, sweet and innocent, not able to hold back her emotions. But it was the man that embraced her who made Matusoka's heart freeze. The content smile that graced the man's lips when he kissed the teenager's forehead truly scared him.

Author's Note: The song that I quote in the text is 'Poison' by Alice Cooper. It's a good one, so give it a go if you are in the mood. BR, Thistle Weeds