Love Triangle
Chapter 20. Ring
Author's Note: Oh my god, it's been more than 2 months! Time goes by so fast! I'm sorry that I have pushed this update later than usual. I hope you'll still be able to enjoy this story though, since I'm determined to not give up on it no matter what. Thank you for having patience with me, if you forget what this was about, please read the last chapter again.
"The elevator broke down," said the nurse "you might want to take the stairs if you're in a hurry."
The adolescent boy in front of her, with red hair and an exasperate expression, was wide-eyed and didn't seem like he liked that statement very much.
"Fuck." He grunted, but his voice, unintentionally, was loud enough that the entire couch of people waiting near by could hear him.
"Hey, be careful with your words, young man! There are children!" An old lady yelled, annoyed, but the words did not reached the the boy, as he was already running.
Karma was more than in a hurry. He was practically desperate.
He swallowed his saliva.
His mouth had this bitter feeling emitted from his throat. His guts had this feeling of being turn upside down, then thrown sideways. It felt like the world just thrashes about and won't leave him alone to find peace. He felt frustrated.
He could almost hear Nagisa, screaming and crying, even though there was no sounds in the air, hoping that he won't have to hear it for real.
He just got Nagisa back, oh dear God please, shit, he just doesn't want anything to happen, not to Nagisa.
Yes, he had read those articles, about disgusting people who did disgusting things to other innocent people. The results would often left the victims traumatized for years, and the court would almost never give the criminal the punishment they deserves. Thinking that such a thing could be happening to Nagisa right now was just so… vile.
Karma certainly would do anything to make Asano go to jail if he dare to go that far, but he couldn't risk hurting Nagisa. His love was already scarred, from his own mother, from the world, he just couldn't risk Nagisa being broken.
He breathed out.
He has managed to reached the floor Nagisa was on.
No one stopped him when he started to run again, because no one was there anyway. If he knew this, he would have insisted on choosing a busier hospital, with more people. Then maybe this wouldn't have happen.
"NAGISA!" He shouted, and heard the sound of hiccups that he was oh so familiar with.
He entered the room. Maybe more like barged in. Raging. Furious.
Nagisa was sprawled out on the floor. One of his hand held a small knife. His dirty, unwashed blue hair that smelled like gravels and medicines was all over his face. The small, petite face was in pain from struggling on the ground with a broken leg, but was quickly washed over with relief when he caught the sight of Karma.
Karma dropped on one of his knee, in a brief moment of shock that was only reassured when Nagisa squeezed his hand.
With hiccups and tears and sweats, all running down his face, he tried to utter in sentences.
"He tried to touch me, pushing me down. He didn't let me call the nurse or yell. I threatened him with a knife but he wasn't scared and… and… I was so afraid… But then he heard footsteps, and he heard your voice screaming my name. I…" Nagisa forced his words through hiccups, still squeezing Karma's hand. "I tried to hold him back, but he was too strong… I'm sorry…"
Karma patted him on his back, holding him, rocking him, back and forth, until the hiccups were gone.
"It's not your fault, you did everything you can. I'm just really glad that you're alright."
Karma kissed his hair, his eyes, his tears, his lips. Each kiss was softer than the last, like feathers, like pitter pat raindrops in the early morning. They stayed like that for a while, waiting for the world to slow down so they could catch up.
Later, when the nurse and Nagisa's mother finally returned, they were horrified to find the young boy lied in the fetal position on the ground.
"There was an intruder." Karma said, shortly, simply.
They had agree that for now they will just say they did not know the intruder's identity. Asano covered his face well so the cameras in the hall probably didn't catch his face, and there were no cameras inside Nagisa's private room. If they said it was Asano, it might work, but then again, Asano is smart, so the plan might backfired. He did left footprints, but many people wore that kind of shoes anyway.
"We found a person entering and escaping from Shiota-kun's room earlier, so what they said must be true. I'll tell the hospital to increase their security, so you don't have to worry anymore, Nagisa." His mother tried to put him at ease, Nagisa just nodded.
An hour later, Ms. Shiota left to file complaints against the hospital, leaving Karma and Nagisa alone, but now with a security guard outside of the room.
Karma sighed in exhaustion, kneeling on the ground. His head full of apple red hair plopped on the side of bed, one hand fondly stroking the other's arm. Nagisa looked down at him, with big blue eyes that looked like they held the world, so Karma went and caress Nagisa's face with his hand.
"You were brave, Nagisa." The redhead muttered, feeling his tongue slipped into words with genuine emotions.
"Was I?" Nagisa laughed. His laugh is too pretty not to laugh along. It sent Karma's heart into a frenzied. It was indeed that moment that proved Nagisa was even beyond brave.
"You were. You resisted against him and even held a knife against him. Though I guess it's not that big of a deal, since we hold knifes and guns everyday, but this time you held a real knife, like that time with Takaoka. You're brave, Nagisa."
The blue haired boy laughed again, wholeheartedly.
"What's with this all of the sudden?"
But Karma's face was serious. His fingers danced around Nagisa's ear and tugged the strands of blue hair behind it.
"I guess I'm just scared of losing you, after all of these things that keep happen…" His voice became muffled since he hide his face behind his arm, but Nagisa still understood it perfectly.
"Yeah… I'm scared of losing you too, Karma." Nagisa's cheeks were slightly red. It made Karma wanted to kiss them, which he did, and made it even more brightly red than before.
"I went to search for Asano this morning. I want to make him regret he ever did such a thing, but who knew that he was here." Karma uttered. Suddenly, he pull something out of his pocket. "I also bought you something since I was in the middle of the city…"
He pulled out from the box ring. Nagisa gasped.
"It's just a simple silver ring. It's not like… an engagement ring or anything but… It's just a little something so you'll never forget about me. I have one too, see?" And he showed Nagisa the other ring on his hand.
He slid the ring on Nagisa small, pale fingers. Under the hospital light, the ring gleamed and sparkled. The little 'K' marked on it was reminding Nagisa of all their memories and moments, and it made his heart warm.
"Thank you."
Nagisa smiled, with that same gentle hint of happiness, and the forever present dimple on each cheek.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading the 20th chapter of Love Triangle! I could not have made it this far without you guys. If you want to read more, please hit follow, favorite, and leave a review!