COWRITTEN BY ANKHSANGEL/AMY L.
Prologue
The singer sighed as he adjusted his headphones in the recording studio. It just wasn't sounding right, no matter what he did. He touched another dial, then pulled them off in frustration. Putting his hands over his eyes, he leaned back in the chair.
He stiffened as a knife blade touched his throat.
"I warned you what would happen, didn't I?" A low voice whispered in his ear. "Guess you thought I was joking."
The blade rose, then plunged down.
Chapter 1
A tall young blonde woman entered the hospital, locating the right room and knocking lightly.
No one answered.
She frowned and double checked the room number before sticking her head in, "Hello?"
A young man lay sleeping, a heart monitor beeping softly.
She entered slowly and sat down, looking him over carefully.
A bandage was wrapped around his chest and shoulder, only slightly spotted with blood. His hair lay over his eyes, lips curled downward. As she watched, he shifted slightly and winced, then blinked jade green eyes open. He flinched as he focused on her, but didn't say anything.
She gave him a small smile, "Hi. Sorry if I scared you."
He shook his head slowly, pushing himself into a sitting position with a grimace. "Go ahead and ask your questions."
"I don't have any questions. I'm just here to protect you," she said quietly.
"Huh?" He looked startled but before he could continue, the door opened.
A very tall man walked in, then stopped as he caught sight of her. "You're here already."
"Yes," she nodded before adding, "If he needs protection, you shouldn't have left him alone."
The man's eyes narrowed. "We're in a hospital."
"It's not hard to sneak into a hospital," she stated plainly.
He sighed. "Noted."
The young man in bed looked at each of them, then addressed the room. "Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Your manager hired me as protection for you."
The patient's eyes darkened as he glared at the other man. "Goddammit, Naoto! I don't need a bodyguard!"
"You obviously need something if you're getting stabbed.." she said quietly.
He turned the glare on her. "I'm not worried about some unhinged lunatic. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Miss..What's your name?"
"Mia Ishida." She then added, "This isn't the first attempt on your life, and if you were capable, you wouldn't be in the hospital."
He scowled at her as the other man held up a hand.
"Ry, she's right. It's only for a few days, just until the police catch this person, okay?"
The patient growled under his breath, finally raising his hands in surrender. "Fine."
The man nodded at her. "Miss Ishida. You have my number if you need me to run interference with anyone. Or to kick his skinny ass." He waved and exited as the man in the bed snorted derisively.
"The day he can do that I'll quit singing."
She chuckled slightly in response.
"At least you're not a gushing fangirl like the last one." He leaned back with a pained sigh. "And to be fair, I thought the studio would be better protected."
"Well, I'm sure the police will catch your attacker soon, then you won't have to deal with me."
He gave her a shy smile. "You don't seem so bad."
She chuckled, "I'll try to stay quiet and as out of your way as possible."
He shrugged slightly, then hissed. "Fuck, that hurts." After a minute, he spoke again. "So how long have you been a bodyguard?"
"A couple years."
He nodded slowly. "Feel free to give me a swift kick if I act like an ass. Sometimes my anti social tendencies get the better of me."
She chuckled again, "It's alright."
He took a deep breath, then dropped his eyes. "Can I tell you the truth without judgement?"
"Of course."
"I'm terrified." His voice was soft. "I feel like I'm trapped. He's playing with me and I can't stop him."
"They're going to find him, and I'm going to do my best to keep you safe until then. Just trust me and try to relax."
"Before or after he kills me?" He looked despondent. "Or will he just take my voice?"
"He's not going to kill you or take your voice while I'm here."
He nodded slowly. "Alright." He closed his eyes, one hand reaching toward the IV. "Let's do this."
"Just rest for now, okay? I'll keep an eye on things."
He paused, his fingers around the tube as he considered her words. Then he released it and pressed the drug pump instead. "I'll trust you, for now." He drifted off as the painkiller began working.
She watched him quietly for a few moments before analyzing the room carefully, just in case.
A few hours later, he jerked awake with a muffled scream. He turned red as he saw her. "Sorry."
"Don't be," she smiled softly.
"Not the picture I present to the public, is it?"
"Everyone has things they don't show most people," she shrugged.
His eyes glittered in the low light as he watched her. "Even you?"
She nodded.
"Wonder what that could be..?" He looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "I'm leaving."
She raised an eyebrow, "Leaving?"
"Yeah." He pulled the IV out, then pushed the covers back.
She watched him quietly, "Well, wherever you want to go, I'm following."
He chuckled, stood up and promptly fell as his knees buckled. He whimpered as his shoulder hit the bed railing, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to breathe.
She got up and gently lifted him back to the bed.
"Go ahead and say it." He murmured quietly.
"Say what?" She raised an eyebrow.
"That I'm an idiot." His eyes were exhausted, pain in the green depths. "That you'd leave if you weren't getting paid.."
"I wasn't thinking either of those things."
He snorted. "Why not? Everyone else does."
"I'm not everyone else."
He stared at her for several moments. "You will be." His voice was sad, his gaze lost like an abandoned child's.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She gently put a hand on his shoulder and focused quietly, not saying anything for a few moments. She then just said, "Just rest" before moving away.
His eyes closed, his features smoothing out.
She sat back down and went back to watching him.