Okay, this chapter is going to be really short. But if you haven't read the notice on my profile yet, you may want to.... Well I hope you like this chapter so enjoy.
Red Rose
Chapter 25
Takuya glanced at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time, his chocolate-colored eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why the hell do you keep checking the time?" Kouji asked, glancing at him carelessly.
"Zoe's been gone for a long time," Takuya mused.
Kouji rolled his eyes. "Dude, she's only been gone for a half hour. I swear, you get all bent out of shape when she's gone for more than ten minutes."
"Oh, screw you." Takuya threw an annoyed glance at his friend. "If Zoe's being followed, then of course I'm going to get kind of nervous if she's gone for awhile."
"She'll be fine," Kouji replied. "She can still use half of her vectors to get her out of trouble. So she should be good to go."
After a minute of debating with himself, Takuya rose to his feet. "I think I'll go out and look for her. Just to be safe."
"You're so friggen paranoid." Kouji concentrated on his video game for a brief second, blowing off a zombie's head. "But if it gets you to go away for a few minutes, then by all means, go ahead."
"It's my house, ya know," Takuya said dryly. "Feel free to leave anytime."
The raven-haired teen chuckled. "Nah, I like it here. I don't pay rent."
"Idiot." The brunette opened the front door and walked outside. "Later."
"Yup," Kouji responded apathetically, his focus only within his game.
Takuya went down the steps, giving Wanta a pat on the head. The puppy yipped happily, then laid back down on a warm spot on the soft grass. He rolled onto his back, expecting to get a belly rub.
"Sorry, but I gotta go in a minute." Nevertheless, Takuya gave Wanta a quick rub on his soft torso, then continued on his way. "Now...where the fuck could she be?"
He wasn't sure where to begin. Part of him scolded himself to just stay home and wait for Zoe to come back on her own accord. However, a much louder voice chided him to go look for her. He didn't know why, but he felt a twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. The brunette walked down the road at a leisurely pace, looking side to side in hopes to spot the blond. He felt that he had a better chance of finding her on foot, rather than speeding down the street in his car.
"I don't even know where to look," he muttered under his breath. "And now I'm talking to myself...again."
Takuya made his way down the road for a few more minutes, finally seeing the gates to the cemetary in the distance. Maybe she went there for a place to relax, he thought to himself. Tommy goes there sometimes, so maybe Zoe likes it there, too.
Although he was on a relatively bustling street, very rarely did he ever see anyone go into the cemetary, much less bother to even notice it. Once he had reached the entrance, he pushed the gates open and entered. His jaw dropped when he noticed the condition of his surroundings.
"What the fuck....?"
All around him, tombstones had been toppled and shattered, millions of pieces of marble littering the area. At least fifteen of them had been destroyed, and he noticed that the stairs of the stone temple had been completely obliverated. Two trees had collapsed, both of them broken and splintered. As he looked around, he saw a figure lying amongst the debris.
"Shit," he hissed, hurrying over to the crumpled body.
Seconds later, he was close enough to see that the person was, in fact, Zoe. He sprinted over to her, falling to his knees beside her. The Diclonius was lying on her side, her long hair concealing her face.
"Zoe! Wake up!" He pulled her into his arms, shaking her.
The girl did not stir, the only movements coming from her breathing. Her clothes were dirtied and slightly torn in places, and he saw bruises and cuts on her body. Luckily, none of them looked serious and Takuya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fuck...." Takuya fumbled to get his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing a number.
He waited impatiently to hear a voice on the other end, and he tried to wake Zoe up in the meantime.
"Yeah?" A voice on the other line asked unenthusiastically.
"Kouji," Takuya said anxiously. "Bring my car to the cemetary right now. The keys are on the counter."
Kouji immediately changed his tone to a more concerned one. "Shit, did you find Zoe?"
"Yeah, and that's why I need my car. Just hurry up and get here," Takuya replied before hanging up.
Less than five minutes later, Kouji pulled the black Mazda up beside the cemetary.
"Hey, I'm here," he said, rushing over to Takuya. "The fuck happened to her?"
"Don't know," Takuya mumbled, picking Zoe up. "We'll have to find out when she wakes up."
Kouji followed Takuya to the car, shaking his head. "Dude...I don't know about this...."
"What are you talking about? And can you open one of the doors to the backseat? I'll sit in the back with Zoe," Takuya said.
Kouji opened the door behind the driver's door, taking Zoe away from Takuya momentarily. "I'll explain once you get in..."
"Okay...." Takuya threw him a curious look before sliding into the seat. "Okay, give her to me."
His friend handed the blond back over before getting into the car himself. He waited a moment as Takuya securely pulled Zoe into his lap, holding her safely in place.
"Alright," Takuya said once he was ready. "What did you mean by that?"
Kouji sighed, starting the engine. "Well...I don't want to piss you off, but...."
"But....?" Takuya pressed, waiting for an answer.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to bring her back?" Kouji glanced back at him, driving the car back to the house. "I mean...if someone is after her, maybe we should just-"
"Just what?" Takuya angrily intercepted. "Let them take her? Are you fucking crazy?!"
Kouji let out a slightly aggravated groan. "Dude, I don't mean it like that. But...you're going to get caught up in Zoe's problems. If someone's after her, we can't stop them. Zoe might not be powerful enough to take them down and we might be killed in the process."
"I'm not letting anyone take her," Takuya said firmly, his teeth gritted. "If they want her, they'll have to kill me."
"See, this is what I'm talking about!" Kouji exclaimed. "You're putting your life at risk just for her. I know you care about her and all but-"
"Shut up," the brunette hissed.
The raven-haired teen sighed. "Takuya-"
"I said," Takuya continued in a low voice, "Shut the fuck up. I don't want to talk about this, okay? So drop the fucking subject before I lose it."
"Alright," Kouji grumbled, giving in.
The remainder of the short car ride was short, yet uncomfortably silent as the two friends did not speak to each other. Kouji pulled into the driveway, parking the car. He then got out of the vehicle and opened Takuya's door.
"I'll take her so that you can get out," he said in an apathetic tone.
Takuya glared at him for a moment, then shifted in his seat. "No thanks. I'll do it myself."
He cradled Zoe tightly in his arms as he slid out of the seat, kicking the door closed behind him as he walked towards the house. His shoulder bumped into Kouji's as he angrily stormed past him. Kouji sighed, then followed behind them wordlessly.
Meanwhile
Kouichi and Kanae sat on a bench overlooking the nearby beach, the remainders of their ice cream melting in their cups.
"I wish it was warm enough to go swimming," Kouichi mused.
"Yeah, same here." Kanae spooned one last bite of ice cream into her mouth. "It's warm, but the water is still probably freezing..."
Kouichi chuckled. "Either way, I don't think we're prepared to go swimming. I don't know about you, but I didn't bring my swim trunks."
Kanae thought for a moment, then smiled. "Come on."
Before the raven-haired young man could reply, he had been grabbed by the wrist. Kanae dragged him down the walkway towards the beach, leading him to the water.
"What are you doing?" Kouichi asked, surprised.
"You'll see," the girl said nonchalantly.
Seconds later, she stopped them at the shore, the water just barely splashing at their shoes. Kouichi threw her an an amused smile, his eyes slightly narrowed with suspicion.
"Okay, we're here," he pointed out. "Now are you going to tell me?"
"Well..." Kanae innocently twirled a lock of pink hair in her fingers. "Who said that we needed bathing suits to go swimming?"
Kouichi's eyes widened. "But the water's too cold."
The girl shrugged and slipped her shoes and socks off. "Who cares?"
With that, she ran into the water, letting the drops splash at her legs. The short-haired twin watched her in awe, his mouth gaped open.
"I can't believe you went in there!" He called to her.
"I can't believe it either!" She shouted back.
Kouichi shook his head and smirked. "So, how's the water?"
"It's freezing," she replied cheerfully. "Care to join?"
"I don't know...." Kouichi's voice trailed off as he debated with himself.
"Oh, come on." Kanae splashed a bit of water in his direction. "It's cold, but it's also fun. Besides, you only live once....or so I've heard..."
Kouichi stood there for another moment, then gave him. Silently, pulled off his shoes and socks and slowly walked into the awaiting water.
"Shit, it's cold!" He exclaimed, rolling up his pantlegs.
"No kidding," Kanae said with a smile.
"So, now what?" Kouichi asked. "You wanted us to go swimming, so-"
Before he could finish, Kanae playfully pushed him backwards. With a yelp, he fell on his butt in the water, getting splashed as he landed.
"Hey, what was that for?!" He demanded, a bit angry.
However, he could not stay angry as Kanae made her way over to him. She crouched down next to him, letting the hem of her short skirt rest on top of the water. Kouichi could vaguely see the white silk of her panties from the position he was in, causing him to turn a dark shade of pink.
"Well, where's your retalitation?" Kanae asked coyly.
Kouichi frowned, then pushed her back so she, too, fell into the water. "What, like that?"
The girl laughed, now soaked. "Yeah, didn't you find that even remotely fun?"
"Well....kind of," he admitted, attempting to stand up.
"Good." With that, she pulled his leg out from under him.
"Shit!" Kouichi tumbled back down, now completely drenched as well. "Okay, now you're gonna get it!"
He splashed Kanae in the face with a wave that he created with his arm, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Is that all you've got?!" Kanae retaliated with a bigger splash, sending cold water everywhere.
After a five minute splash fight, the two of them collapsed in the water, panting as they regained their breath.
"Okay," Kanae said, shivering. "I'm really getting cold."
Kouichi's teeth were chattering. "Y-yeah. L-let's get out."
They heaved themselves out of the water, treading back onto the beach. The couple grabbed hold of their shoes and walked back towards the bench that they had been sitting on earlier.
"Well, I have to admit. That was fun," Kouichi commented, brushing sand off his feet.
"See, I told you." Kanae smirked at him, pulling her socks back on. "Who needs a swimsuit to go swimming?"
"Yeah, but now we're soaked," the boy pointed out.
Without warning, the Diclonius pulled her shirt off, revealing her bra-clad chest. "Then we'll let our clothes dry off."
Kouichi's face turned bright red as he gazed at her, watching her while she tugged her denim skirt down. Her silk panties left little to the imagination and Kouichi felt a throbbing between his legs.
"Wha-what are you doing?" He stuttered. "We'll get into trouble."
"How?" Kanae raised an eyebrow, draping her clothes on the bench. "As long as we're in our underwear, no one can say anything. I mean, we're not naked, so no one can call the cops to get us in trouble."
Kouichi looked at her strangely. "Why, have you done this before?"
"Yeah," she replied nonchalantly. "So, are you just going to sit there in your cold, wet clothes, or are you going to let them dry?"
The raven-haired teen thought for several seconds, before sighing. "Alright, you made your point."
Kanae smiled as he stripped down to only his boxers. "Oh, nice...."
"Thanks." Kouichi copied what the girl had done and laid his clothes out on the bench.
For awhile, the two of them simply stared at the glimmering ocean, the sun warming their bodies.
"I had fun today," Kanae finally said, glancing at him. "Did you?"
Kouichi chuckled. "Yeah, I did. You may be a bit crazy, but I like it."
"Oh, and you're not crazy?" She threw him a disbelieving look.
"Well....ah, be quiet..." He looked at her, taking in her beauty.
There were a few stray drops of water gliding down her body, and her long hair shone in the light. Her amber eyes seemed to be brighter than usual, and Kouichi couldn't stop himself from leaning into her. Just as Kanae turned to face him, she was surprised to find his lips on hers. For a moment, she simply sat there, dumbfounded as he kissed her. However, she quickly returned the gesture with her own passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kouichi pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly as his tongue entered her mouth.
This isn't right, Kanae chastised herself. You weren't supposed to be getting this close to the guy! Though no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to.
Alright, that wraps up this chapter. I'm quickening the pace a bit as you can see and I'm hoping to get another chapter written up soon...but it's no guarantee. See ya later