"I told you people I'm fine now stop being such a pain in my ass!"
One of the cops snorted and muttered something to his partner. "We're being a pain in her ass?"
Kagura shot a glare in his direction, indicating that she heard the remark but decided not to comment on it…decided not to comment on a lot of things. She hadn't said a word to any officer or doctor that asked about the kidnapping. In fact she'd been shouting that she wanted to go home since the moment she woke up. Right now they were just trying to get the IV she ripped out, put back in. "Now Kagura, these people are just doing their job and-"
"-and they're doing a poor one. I DO have the right to deny treatment you know!" Hayate held her down again when she tried getting up. She was trying to hide being frantic by looking angry but he noticed. He'd been there when she first woke up, watching over her while Sasame was forced into another room for a nap and a look at his head injury to make sure it wouldn't get infected. She groaned first, shielding her eyes from the bright light while they adjusted to the room. As soon as she noticed where she was, the impeccably white walls accented in off white or this sick looking pale green. Metal push bars outlining the bed she slept in. The low hum of a news channel coming from the small hanging television in the top corner of the room. Linoleum tiled floors and that annoying smell like rubber gloves, sterile tools, meds and a hint of old people. Her eyes had widened and the first thing she'd tried to do, despite her obviously dizzy state at how fast she got up, was try leaving. Hayate had thought it was just a surprised reaction and found it amusing when she was stopped by the tube sticking into the inside of her elbow. Instead of wincing and getting back into bed she ripped it out. That's when his smirk dropped and the problem started. Now here they were.
Himeno rushed in when she heard the commotion. She knew this was going to happen. Kagura didn't like hospitals too much. It was understandable. No trip to the hospital is ever for a particularly good reason unless there's a baby being born but Kagura had been forced to come here a severely higher number of times more than herself. First there was her abnormal sleeping patterns when she was 2. They made her stay over night to examine exactly what was wrong with her and why she wouldn't sleep at night but spontaneously during the day or in the middle of dinner. Then there was the rabbit incident when she was 4. They went to the zoo with their parents and Kagura wandered off to the petting zoo. It would have been alright but she figured out how to unlatch the gate. The goats and other various baby animals ran free, chased by zoo keepers while Kagura went inside and picked up one of the smaller rabbits. It bit her hand and wouldn't let go no matter how much she tried shaking it off. Then another came up and bit down on her ankle. And another. In short…there were a lot of rabbits. They found her buried and screaming. The poor little animals were just teething. She's hated rabbits ever since. The most traumatic had to have been when they were 5. It was when they first found out about the above average use of part of both Kagura and Himeno's brains. Himeno had been spared with a few shots but Kagura had been signed over by her own father to be studied and kept in the psyche ward where they stuck crazy people behind the hospital. There was that run in with their grandfather from their mother's side that near beat Kagura to death when they were 6. Mass amounts of times after being jumped by the older kids at ADOC. The time they found her on the stoop in front of the center orphanage girl's dorm. She suffered from multiple bruises, a stab wound, and a few areas where she'd been burned but would heal eventually. Not to mention their continuous shot visits or their situation with their father when he was still in his coma. "Kagura…Just try and calm down. You're making a scene and half the hospital can hear you." She glared at Himeno, having obviously thought that her sister would understand her nerved state while inside this place and try to get the others to let her leave.
Apparently not.
"I don't give a FUCK!" Ami flinched, whether at the language or the volume of her shout in the generally quiet hospital was uncertain.
"Well you need to!" Himeno argued back in a much more civil voice. "There are other people here who are sick and trying to rest. You're not the only one who doesn't like it here but you're staying anyway to get better."
"The hell I am." Hayate forced her back down by the shoulder. "And if you manhandle me one more time Princess, I'll knee you in the sac."
Hayate snorted. "Then I guess it's too bad you're too weak to do anything."
"Try me."
Himeno let out an exasperated sigh. It was only getting worse. "Please, just let the nurse put the IV back in and go to sleep!"
"If all I gotta do is sleep then why can't I do it in my own, more comfortable bed in pajamas instead of a paper bag?" She was referring to the patient garb they placed her in. She noticed the nurse trying to make another attempt at approaching her with the IV needle. She needed it to get the tranquilizers out of the girl's system at a healthy pace. Kagura turned a deadly glare toward the nurse, daring her to get any closer. She'd already been freaked by the girl's unusual appearance so the glare was enough to keep her at bay until she was sure the redhead wouldn't lash out at her in misdirected rage.
"That's enough." Everyone looked over to see a bandaged and drowsy Sasame. He breezed passed everyone in the room and climbed into Kagura's hospital, tucking himself in. "Leave." They didn't need to be told twice. The two officers informed her that they would be coming back later tomorrow. Kagura gave in and let the nurse put the IV back in before the two were left alone.
It was quiet and just a little awkward for a while. She kept squirming around, trying to get comfortable on the small bed since it obviously wasn't fit for two people. Sasame didn't even bother opening his eyes. Just readjusted himself so she was half lying on top of him. "So…You're staying."
"Yep," he yawned.
She frowned. "I still don't see why I can't just go home."
"Nothing's going to happen to you here. Sleep."
"I didn't say something was gonna-"
"Sleep."
"But-"
"We'll leave in the morning." She frowned at him constantly interrupting her before closing her eyes too. "Now that wasn't so hard."
"Kiss my ass."
"And everything else after you get better."
Her face went red again. Pervert.
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Now the idea of coming home had originally been a relaxing thought. A great thought. Something to get her mind off of her current stress with long overdue hours of non-drug induced sleep. Her wrists were bandaged and her head ached. She hadn't even noticed the extra car in the drive way. Her only thought was falling face first into her bed and thinking about everything else later. Too bad that later was twenty seconds after she walked into the door. Kagura swayed a few times, still half asleep, with Sasame supporting her on her way. But when a loud, "Thank God," burst through their ears from the living room, they were wide awake. Sasame immediately went on the defensive. That sounded like a man's voice. He was quickly becoming wary of strange men showing up. Kagura on the other hand, looked pissed. Very pissed. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Well look who was wide awake now? Sasame followed her into the living room only to see her father, and the Kogo family seated across from Sanma. So that's why she hadn't come to get Kagura.
Natsue gasped along with the startled choking sound from Mayune and her father's sigh. Mawata rolled her eyes, expecting this kind of behavior. Natsue on the other hand didn't take to kindly to it. How could a daughter speak so vulgar when addressing her own father? Especially one who had woken up after so many years not knowing a thing and wanting nothing to do but see his only two children, his only family, and this one did nothing but treat him like garbage. Not like the man that raised her. Kaoru put his head into his hands, not wanting to respond to that. So Natsue did instead. "I don't think you should be too hard on him. He's been worried sick every minute you've been missing. We had a search party sent out looking for you."
"It isn't your place to lecture me on how I speak to Kaoru. Now be the respectful woman you want me to think you are and stay out of it."
"Don't you speak to my mother that way you ungrateful ruffian!" Mayune was standing with a faint reddening in her cheeks from her irritation. It was enough that her mother was infatuated with this man she just met but now his peasant demon spawn was speaking down on her mother as if she were the unworthy one. She should be lucky my mother would find any interest at all in marrying the washed up novelist.
"And you are?"
This meeting was quickly escalating into something none too pleasant and the last thing Kagura needed to be doing right now was arguing. She may have looked steady but that was just the adrenaline keeping her up and aware for the time being. He laid a hand on her shoulder and looked on to the Sanma household guests. "As I am sure you are aware, we've had a long couple of days," Sasame reasoned, "It would be to our best interests if you would hurry along to the point of your visit." His gaze settled on Mawata and he tried to hold back his wince. Kagura had done a number on the girl. Her face was still black and blue with patches of red from irritated skin but the swelling had gone down a great deal. It was a wonder Natsue hadn't pressed charges. Probably strictly for Kaoru's sake. When her gaze met his it immediately darted over toward the living room window. She was probably embarrassed.
Natsue smiled at the topic of their visit being brought to the foreground. Even Kaoru smirked and lifted his gaze to his somewhat skeptical daughter. Mawata and Mayune's frowns just deepened. "Kagura…Natsue makes me happy."
"…Okay. Then go be happy somewhere el—"
"And we decided to get married!"
There was a flash of surprised rage on her face but she was quick about schooling into nonchalance. He was getting married. So what's the big deal. Fuck if it has anything to do with me. "So what did you expect me to say to that?"
Natsue frowned at Kagura's cynical approach to things. This was big news for the girl and she let it roll of her shoulder with a blink and a shrug. Kaoru just looked a little more pleading. "We- All of us. We can be a family again. You and Himeno can have a home again. And it's safer in Natsue's home. Something like this wouldn't happen."
Sanma looked to the ground at the comment made in regards to her ability to care for the twins but maybe it was true. After all, look what happened to Kagura not too long ago. Maybe it was for the best. Kagura caught the look Sanma gave and glared at her father and his soon to be wife. That wiped the happy looks off their faces. "Who the hell gave you the RIGHT to enter another person's home and disrespect them? Especially verbally, to their FACE?!"
"K-Kagura-"
"And why aren't you standing up for yourself? Don't you like having me and Himeno here?"
"Of course, I do." It was one of Sanma's rare non-stuttering moments but Kagura had no time to be amazed, once again, by it. "But-"
"There's no buts about it. I can't make any decisions for Himeno but I can assure you I'm not going anywhere with you or your new bitch."
Sasame cringed at her mention of Natsue and tried to lead her up stairs but the girl wouldn't budge and didn't even flinch when Natsue stormed in their direction. "Kagura. All of this so soon isn't good for you."
"You act like I invited them."
"I have HAD IT with you and your blatant disrespect! I understand your resentment toward me and how you may think I'm trying to replace your mother, but your father deserves none of it!"
"You couldn't replace my mother if you tried you fucking whore!"
The next known sound was the resounding smack of Natsue's hand striking Kagura across the face. Her head turned with it with a swoosh of red hair and a matching hand print on her cheek. "Apologize," she'd barely whispered.
Mayune and even Mawata were stunned to silence before a small smirk spread across the eldest's face. Nice way of putting that tramp in her place mom!
"Apologize for what? I meant it. My mother was too good for the living and she'll always be better than you. Even while dead. And you'll always be the whore who scrounged for her leftovers. Though I doubt the man's worth scrounging for. Look at him. He's pathetic. A mosquito that just doesn't know when to die."
"That man doesn't deserve to have such an evil child."
"Then you don't know him very well. I'm just making sure the bastard suffers for what he did."
"Good lord! The man got into an accident and ended up in a coma for years—"
"And killed three other people because the drunk bastard decided to drive into ON COMING TRAFFIC!"
Kaoru's head sprang from where they rested in his hands and it looked like his pupils had dilated for a moment. Everyone was shocked. Even Sasame. She'd never mentioned anything like that before. Natsue raised a hand to strike her again. "You filthy liar!"
But another snaked out to stop her. Kagura was more than a little stunned to find Sanma with Natsue's wrist in her grip. "I think everyone's said enough. It would be in the general best interest if you and your company took leave of my home for the time being."
Natsue blushed, ashamed at her behavior but the brazen girl had gotten under her skin. She removed her hand from Sanma's grasp and the group left. Sasame followed Kagura up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the door behind them. She hadn't said a word. Hadn't even looked at him. She was angry but was that embarrassment as well? Since when had Kagura started feeling anything like humility after an argument. She was changing. He could tell. Smiling more and embarrassing much easier than before. She'd even apologized to him on occasion without having to be badgered into it. Had the two of them having sex really changed that much? He hadn't had any of those dreams. Just regular ones or ones that seemed to be of her anyway or regular ones with him in that field alone. But without the glassy dream look. More crisp and bright and…lonely. "Are you alright?"
Kagura sighed and climbed to bed. "Yeah, just a little tired."
"You sure? You look pale."
"Probably from all the yelling."
"Oh…You want me to stay?"
By now she was already lying down, tucked in with her back to him. "If you want," she shrugged. He knew well enough that if she wanted him to leave, she would have said as much, so he pulled his shirt overhead and tossed it off somewhere before climbing in next to her. It was quiet for a long time after that, but he could tell she wasn't sleeping. She was moving around too much. "You…didn't see Psy lying around anywhere did you? W-When you came in?" She'd still hoped the girl wasn't dead even though her mind kept shouting at her to stop being so stupid. Psy may have been stubborn but there was no way she was going to survive getting her brains blown out by Maki and he rarely EVER missed.
Sasame noticed the way her voice cracked and winced. "Psy?"
"Purple mohawk."
"Oh. You're friend. No, just…Kyoko…"
Kagura's eyes bulged for a second before she calmed down. He probably just buried her first. Bastard never could look someone in the eyes when he was screwing them over.
"Just get some sleep Kagura." He laid an arm over her so he could get closer. "Don't think about anything else right now."
Not having to think about anything. I'd like that. What she needed was a vacation from her own life for a while. But as soon as the thought of that college in America popped into her head she stopped herself. No point in thinking that far ahead in the future when she didn't have one.
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Sanma brought the boy down some clean sheets and an extra bed pillow from Himeno's room. She had told Hayate he could go home, sleep in his own bed, that nothing would happen, but he just gave her that stubborn stare that she'd gotten all too much from his father when he was alive. They both shared that same form of pouting but he looked more like his mother. "Are you sure you're alright on the couch? We have a spare bedroom up stairs." He unloaded the sheets from her small arms and dismissed her concern. "I'll be fine right here." The television was on and despite the drowsy look on his face, she had a feeling he wasn't going to sleep.
"Good night then." He hummed a response while she made her way up the stairs to her own room but she wouldn't be sleeping. Kagura may not have wanted to go with her father but that didn't change the fact that they'd be appearing in court for custody of the twins soon. And if they could convince a judge that the girls really weren't safe in her home, it wouldn't matter what Kagura wanted. They'd be packed off and gone and Kagura would likely do something incredibly stupid that could get her killed without Sasame around all the time. The point was, all of this was supposed to be simple. Very simple. That's the way she liked her life outside her work. After all, she was a simple kind of woman. Back all those months ago, before the girls got there, when she won the Tokyo Powerball, she hadn't known what to do with all that money. First she paid off all the debt on the house her father had accumulated over the years before his death. She'd even had a few things around the house fixed up and she furnished the other three rooms. She hadn't known anything about computer buying though. Kei took care of that since he'd been visiting the family next door at the time. But in the end it had been Ami's idea to adopt children. She practically picked the girls out too. Sanma sighed and got into bed, thinking it better to think about the future and what she could do about that. To hell if they're leaving now…not if they don't want to.
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Ryu walked into the special room they'd placed Psy into so she could be alone while she got better. The man who treated her said it could have been much worse. They had to remove one of her kidneys because due to internal bleeding but it would have eventually failed on her anyway. All that drinking and partying had practically rotted the thing. But she was stable and getting better. There were flowers in the room and Psy's favorite. Or at least he was pretty sure they were. She still hadn't woken up. And in his mind, all he could do was be angry at Kagura. 'I'll kill him after graduation.' If Psy ends up handicapped after this I'll kill Maki and the bitch myself.
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"You should probably get to sleep." Hayate jumped out of his skin. He hadn't seen her come, or heard her. Kagura stood behind the sofa, having just come out from the kitchen with a glass of water. She didn't seem to notice him jump. "I don't think you'll want to be watching tv after a while anyway."
Hayate snorted at her remark and turned back to the futbol game with Brazil and Portugal. "You thinking for me now?"
Kagura just raised a brow and sat down with him, having left Sasame asleep upstairs. "You mean Himeno didn't tell you? Every night around this time the Porn channel gets stuck on our television."
He looked surprised at that. "Why don't you just call the cable company."
"We did. Someone's stealing cable from us and watching a hell of a lot of Porn at night. Our signal gets stuck and it can't be fixed until we find out who."
Like clockwork, the image of a woman in her underwear and an apron showed up. Hayate blushed, more from the fact that this had just turned into an awkward situation of him watching PORN with his brother's girlfriend. He tried pressing down on the remote but that wouldn't work. "What the hell?"
"I JUST told you. The signal's stuck. Besides, you're acting like you've never seen a porno before."
"I don't make it a regular habit."
"Whatever you say Princess. Eh, it's a re-run anyway. That whole plumber thing is overused. The guy handles shit pipes for a living and he looks like THAT? Yeah right. I'll believe she was actually cooking something in that get up before I believe that."
"People don't watch porn for the stunning likeness to reality."
She stared at him for a moment before getting up. "Well I can't argue with an expert. Have a nice night. Don't soil the living room." She went back to bed, completely missing Hayate's angry twitch.
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"Get out." Everyone scrambled out of the room, intent on leaving their temperamental boss alone with his girlfriend. Ryu waited for the front door to slam shut before approaching Psy's bedside and pulling up a seat. She'd just woken up not too long ago and seemed to be stable enough. She'd live. She damn well better. "You feeling better."
"Dunno…painkillers make everything numb." She took a moment to glance at him. He had that calculating look on his face he usually got when he was angry. "Don't even think about it."
"What?"
"You touch Kagura and I'll shove my foot so far up your ass…"
"Threatening me on your sick bed, are you?"
"I'm serious. I didn't lie and get shot just so you could kill her."
"You're not feeling well. We'll talk about this later."
"No we won't because there won't be anything to talk about. It's not her fault."
The man's fist came down on the chair's armrest in frustration. "If she would have just fucking did what I told her when I told her to do it, this would have never happened."
Psy did her best attempt at a chuckle she could in this situation. "Will you stop with the temper tantrum and listen to yourself. You want to know why Kagura gets along with me, Berserk, and those Redlight District bastards so much? Because we still remember that the girl is seventeen years old. We don't really expect anything from her. Not like the rest of you do. And she never really got to be a kid. So leave the girl alone. If she says she's going to do it after graduation then that's when it gets done. It's not like you're going to do it."
"That's because anybody who kills Maki will probably end up dead themselves. I've got too much too live for."
"But Kagi's got a boyfriend now."
"They're in high school. And he's too naïve for her. They'll probably break up anyway."
"That's not very nice. I think she's rather attached to him."
Ryu snorted at that remark but didn't respond to it. "I guess…if she lives after the fight with Maki…I can pay for her way through college if she wants to go…I guess."
"She might like that."
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Kagura had been in a foul mood for the past few days for very obvious reasons. Add to the fact that she found out her father and that Kogo woman were fighting for custody of she and her sister made her even more angry. Now she was expected to go to school like this? All this stress is going to gray my hair. If it doesn't fall out first. She sighed and got out of the car, trying to ignore the stares from other students. One she recognized as a good friend of Mawata's glared in her direction but Kagura brushed that off as well. Before she would have probably raised an intimidating brow at that look and made a snide comment but now wasn't the time. And what's weird is…I just ain't in the mood. Her emotions usually never ran this rampant. She had a list of drama so long she had caught her brain shutting down a few times when she tried to think about it all. Instead, she'd find herself staring at a wall or window or something until Sasame interrupted her. She had to leave the other three behind for a brief meeting with the principal. She sat across from him, though didn't understand why the other three bastards had to be there. One was the vice principal, she remembered that. What did the other two do again? With all the other things going on it doesn't really matter.
"Again, we're really sorry about what happened. It's just such a joy that you've returned to us safely." And I thought I'd lost my star student. She's going to put this school on the map, I swear it.
The vice principal gave an odd smile derived from a sneer and a grimace. "Yes. It comes to us as such a relief." But his thoughts were no different then that of the other two men in the room.
Damn you!
Kagura's lip switched but that was the only indication that she found amusement at their expense. None of these bastards give a damn about anyone but themselves. "Thanks for the concern but really. I was fine. Perfectly fine. Is there anything else you called me to talk about besides my well-being?"
"I just wanted to say that the nasty rumor regarding your past affiliation with…less than reportable characters has gotten into circulation around the school and we wanted to let you know that, should you encounter any trouble, to come inform one of us about it and we will help you to the best of our ability."
I have a feeling that isn't much. "Sure. That all?"
"Yes, you may return to class."
Kagura got up and walked out, stopping at the bathroom on the way only to find 'Sanma Kagura's a SLUT' written inside the stall. She glared at it for a moment before deciding it wouldn't be for the best if she got too worked up about it. After she finished doing what she had to she walked back to class. The moment they noticed it was her sliding open the door they hushed and stared. "If you're going to show up this late disrupting my class you can just walk back ou-"
Kagura slapped a late pass on her desk before walking back to her own. Finding reasons to jump down my throat already. Bitch. Sasame noticed her frown and accidentally let his hand brush up against her leg when she walked past. The point being to let her embarrassment distract her. And by the blush on her face, it must have worked. She shot him a glare but the look in her eyes told him his attempt to help was appreciated.