Long fingers gripped a book too hard it hurt the man who struggled to concentrate on the words in front of him, to no avail. His eyebrows knit together intricately; he was trying to change his thought processes from what had been haunting him constantly. But his eyes were unseeing of the text; his brain too unwilling to focus on what currently seemed to be the uninteresting topic of property expansion of the Azzinis.
Frustrated, he finally put the book down, and leaned his head against the wall, looking out the high up window to the walled-in grounds below. He sat in a niche in the wall, surrounded by windows, granting a full view. His neck muscles gently pulled in the action, yet the feeling did nothing to relax his high-strung mood.
Almost a month later, and he still had not been able to get her eyes out of his head.
Running really was useless.
He could feel her warm blood on his skin. It mixed with the cold rain, causing a lukewarm mixture to start rolling down his abdomen. He shivered, not because of the cold, but because of what he had done.
He had almost killed her.
The owner of the golden eyes. The one from that time...
The stone only confirmed his suspicions. It was invaluable to most eyes, but to her, it had meant the world.
He had given it so long ago... Yet she still wore it.
There were no doubts. She was Kyoko, the friend he had met long ago.
And he had had the intent to kill her.
A wet rolled down his knuckle. Surprised, he looked to the pillow he had clenched in his fist so hard the skin had split. The grip only grew tighter, though, as he remembered the accusation and hatred in her eyes for him.
His fist slammed against the wall, splitting all of the knuckles' skin on the hand. He did not feel the pain, too focused on his thoughts to care.
After all, no amount of hurt could repay for what he had done to that sweet, innocent girl of his past.
"Moko-san!" Kyoko yelled from her room loudly. "I need your help!"
"Yeah? What?" Chiori said, walking in.
Kyoko's face fell. "Where's Moko-san?"
"Meeting with Voretti. What do you need help with?" Chiori asked, looking at the bandages lying on the bed.
She blushed as she said, "Well, I was bandaging my wounds again, but... My back..." The blush grew deeper.
Amamiya understood. She had Kyoko lie down on the bed, while Chiori untied her bodice wide enough to access the gash. Nothing showed, for which Kyoko was able to relax.
Taking off the bandages, Chiori saw that the gash was reddened and still not clotting, judging from the excess blood that stained the pure white cloth of the discarded bandages. It was not looking good.
Taking a bowl of hot water from over the fire, she poured some onto Kyoko's back. The girl hissed with the pain, gritting her teeth as her temporary caretaker wiped the tender spot clean.
"It might be getting infected. It has not even clotted, either."
"That bad?" Kyoko inquired worriedly.
"Yes. And this is why you shouldn't push yourself so much on missions. You could very easily kill yourself, Kyoko."
Amamiya, having finished her work and said what she wanted, left, the door shutting firmly behind her, leaving Kyoko to think.
She knew how dangerous that mission was. She had wounds to prove it.
But she would not stop, no matter what.
She would do anything for revenge.
She stood in front of the dark oak door, hand raised to knock, attempting to steel herself for what was to come.
Riling up enough courage, she knocked, and then opened the heavy door.
Voretti, glasses balanced on the edge of his nose, did not even bother to acknowledge her until she stood in front of his desk. His head whipped up, eyes immediately in concentration on her.
Kyoko faced him, outwardly completely calm under the intense scrutiny, denying the inward panicking that only showed with the itching of her abdominal scar. She was reminded of why she was doing what she was by the irritation, and her facade became rock solid.
After minutes of a staring contest, which neither side won, Voretti broke the silence with his sharp voice.
"So, by the way you are standing in front of me; you succeeded on your mission."
"Yes." One word was all she said, as that was all Voretti wanted.
"You're a bit more useful than you look." She winced internally at the biting comment. More examination followed, and then he said.
"This man will be your partner from now on, Mogami." He still used the name like a curse.
She could not have time to muse over that though, as a man dropped from the chandelier directly overhead. He landed on all fours with catlike grace, right in front of Kyoko, then slowly stood, towering over her like a cathedral.
'This man's atmosphere...' She thought, trying to recall the similarity. Then it hit her.
She stumbled back, like she had been smacked, her scar practically writhing with life as she stared at the man whose face was hidden beneath the shadows of his cloak. Yet he was unmistakable.
'Oh. God.'
What the hell was he doing here?
And someone makes a reappearance again... Take a guess as to who it is!
Anyways, more chat on the first five chapters. Those parts were completely necessary to the story. I know it was just boring preliminary stuff, but it was all very important. But, if this story is getting boring, (other than that, of course!) please, please tell me!
It's getting so much easier to write with this little world I've created! So I expect chapters will be coming out faster... But still, no promises.
Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted! Oh, and added this to their favorites. I keep on forgetting about you guys. Nevertheless, you are appreciated!