A/N:
Hey Guys, :D. So this chapter is very long over-due. I'm really sorry that this took me so long to write. School has been insane and I have exams coming up, but then at least I'll have a four month summer. So hopefully I'll have more time to write soon. Anyway, I finished writing this like 10 minutes ago and decided to just go ahead and post it, even though it's not as massive as my usual chapters for this story. It hasn't been edited either (other than by me, which... let's just call it unedited lol), so hopefully it'll be bearable.
Lol, I have to say I was surprised by the amount of "OMG, you did NOT just kill Natsuki" reviews last time. :D Lol, I may be a bit sadistic sometimes, but please don't worry – killing of Natsuki is definitely not on my agenda. :D I've invested too much time writing and wishing I had time to write into this story, so I'm definitely going to see it through (even if at this rate I may well by 90 when it's finally finished, lol. :D
I also didn't have time to reply to everyone's reviews last chapter, which I am really sorry about (I thought it may be a little weird to reply when I had time like a month later lol). But I really will try to find the time to for this one.
Oh, and xEvilAngel56x drew me an awesome picture for this story (Thanks once again!)! I totally love it and you guys should check it out! You can link to it through her profile page or get to it on her deviantart account. Here's a link (hope it works):
http : / xevilangel56x . deviantart . com / # / d30gv0v
Just take out the spaces to use it. :D
As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated, and I do read every one of them. :D Thank so much for reading and I hope that you enjoy it! :D
Chapter #7: Broken
"Where is that noise coming from?" Natsuki wondered as she glanced down the long hallway behind her. It was deserted. Pivoting on the heel of her black dress shoe, Natsuki turned back and continued walking. Her eyes briefly scanned the closed doors as she moved past – absorbing what little information could be obtained from the small coded numbers that had been painted on. 10462, 10463, 10464. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, but something in the back of her mind told her that she hadn't found it yet. 10465, 10466.
"It's cold in here," Natsuki stated to herself as the realization first hit her. The words echoed down the hallway quietly – becoming obscured as they almost seemed to get tangled up in each other. She stopped mid-step and waited for the sound to die down. "Weird," Natsuki thought to herself as she glanced down the hallway yet again.
Her footsteps didn't echo. Neither did the incessant beeping noise that Natsuki had decided was intended to slowly dive her insane. With a small sigh, Natsuki continued walking. 104467, 104468, 104469. Suddenly, a gust of cool air sent shivers racing up her spine. With gritted teeth, Natsuki forced herself to continue. 104469, 10... wait. Natsuki stopped in her tracks and stared at the blank door beside to her right. Her gaze traced over the area where there should have been a number. Another gust of air – colder this time – sent her hair flying into her face. Natsuki took a step back and glanced at the previous door, rereading the number out to herself. 104469. A queasy feeling settled in the bottom of her stomach as she walked back over to the blank door and stopped.
"Nice try," Natsuki growled, glancing back down the hallway. Her gaze shifted back to the blank doorway once more, and she smirked – shaking her head as she started to walk away. "There is no way that I'm going in there," she muttered. But the next door was as equally unmarked as the previous. Natsuki frowned to herself; the door after that had no number as well. "I'm not going in there," Natsuki stated defiantly to no one in particular. She turned right around and started walking in the direction that she had come from. When she had passed the three blank doors, she – almost involuntarily – breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze flickered up towards the door she knew for a fact was marked only to find it... Blank?
Panicking a little, Natsuki walked over to the next door. Now it was unlabeled too. "Really?" Natsuki growled – her tone laced with annoyance and just the smallest hint of fear. The sound bounced around from wall to wall. Without a second thought, Natsuki turned and started jogging. Her shoes clacked noisily as she picked up speed – eyes frantically scanning the doors for the numbers that been there only minutes before. Now they were all blank.
As she continued to run, the beeping gradually started to get louder. Heart racing, Natsuki picked up her pace. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank.
Wait.
She stopped suddenly – strands of her hair falling in front of her face as she gasped hungrily for air. Her eyes scanned the door that she had stopped beside. 104469. She read the number over and over, as if to confirm that it was still there. But even though she had stopped running, the beeping continued to get louder. It coursed through her violently – so loud that she could no longer even hear the blood pounding in her ears. Not seeing any other options, Natsuki's hand grasped the cool handle of the door. With considerably more effort than she had expected, she pulled the door open and took a step inside. Using all of her weight to help her, Natsuki turned, slowly forced the door closed, and then heaved a sigh of relief.
The warmth was the first thing that hit her. The second was the silence. It was as if the beeping had never been there in the first place.
"Ikeda-san," a melodic voice laughed.
Natsuki whirled around – her heart racing; she would recognize that laugh anywhere. For a split-second she felt relieved, safe even. But the image she was met with left her instantly winded. "Shizuru," Natsuki whispered before she could stop herself.
Both Shizuru and Ikeda stood in the middle of the room. The dark-haired man quickly turned to look at Natsuki. The look of surprise on his face was clear, but Natsuki barely took notice of it.
She was too busy staring at the way that his arms were wrapped around Shizuru's waist.
"Kruger-san?" Shizuru frowned slightly. Gently, she pulled Ikeda's hands from her and took a step back. "Is something wrong?"
Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her gaze continuously flickered from Shizuru to Ikeda. She... He... Her mind frantically tried to rationalize their close proximity as anything other than romantic involvement. Finally, she bit down on her lower lip – deciding that it was best not to say anything at all; she didn't know if she could mask the jealousy in her voice.
Ikeda gave Natsuki a moment to reply, before turning to face Shizuru. The two seemed to exchange some sort of meaningful look, though no words were spoken. Ikeda nodded slightly, then turned and started to walk towards the door.
"Kuga-san," Ikeda nodded. With that, he politely brushed passed her and walked out of the room. Natsuki watched as the door closed behind him. "What did he just call me?" Natsuki wondered. She replayed what he had said a few times, before it finally hit her.
"He called me Kuga," she spoke suddenly – turning around to face Shizuru. "Viola-san, he called me Kuga. He... he's a suspect," she concluded with widening eyes. "He doesn't even know my real name."
Shizuru just stared at her for a moment. Natsuki studied her dark red eyes carefully – searching for any clue to what she was thinking. Finally, Shizuru let out a small sigh. "I suppose he is," she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. She hesitated for a moment, then took a step towards Natsuki. "I am aware that I...I shouldn't really be... involved with one of our suspects, but..." she trailed off for a moment and took another step towards Natsuki.
"...It's just... the way that he laughs," Shizuru continued after a moment – her red eyes sparkling in a way that made Natsuki's breath catch. The brown-haired woman continued to walk toward Natsuki at a slow, but steady, pace. "And the confident way that he walks," Shizuru spoke – lowering her voice a little as she got closer. Natsuki bit down on her lip, as her stomach clenched tightly. She didn't need to hear this, and she definitely didn't want to.
"And the way that he smiles," Shizuru added, by now so close to Natsuki that they were almost touching. Natsuki swallowed hard, and reflexively took a step back. Shizuru quickly countered with a small step forwards. Natsuki tried to move away once again, only to feel her back press up against the cool wall behind her.
"And the way that he says my name," Shizuru continued - locking eyes with Natsuki as she placed her left hand on the wall beside the navy-haired agent's shoulder. Natsuki's face started to burn instantly; Shizuru was effectively trapping her there. Taking another small step, Shizuru placed her right hand on Natsuki's side - letting it slide along her waist with just enough pressure to make the younger woman shiver. "And..." Shizuru began - her whisper barely audible.
"What are you doing?" Natsuki whispered. It took considerable effort to force the words out at all. She forced herself to lock eyes with Shizuru; the intensity in the other woman's gaze made her tremble before she could stop herself.
"...the way that he does this," Shizuru whispered breathlessly. She took her left hand from the wall and used it to gently tip Natsuki's face upwards. With just a hint of a smile playing across Shizuru's face, she dragged her tongue lightly over her bottom lip and started to tilt her own face down towards Natsuki's.
"Don't," Natsuki pleaded - immobilized by a mixture of intense desire and fear.
"Do you want me to stop?" Shizuru asked quietly. She paused for a moment, but didn't move away.
Natsuki's heart pounded furiously as she tried to form words. "...Y...yes," she finally whispered back - the word barely making it out. Shizuru seemed to hesitate - just for a moment - before her lips curled up into the smallest of smiles.
In a tantalizingly slow movement, the brown-haired woman bent her head down beside Natsuki's ear. "...I don't believe you," she whispered - exhaling warm air down Natsuki's neck. Natsuki stifled a gasp as Shizuru suddenly pulled away.
"Ara," Shizuru mused, "perhaps you should get that looked at."
Natsuki's brow wrinkled in confusion. What is she talking ab... Natsuki inhaled sharply, as Shizuru raised her right hand up.
The brown-haired woman's hand was coated in blood.
"W...what..." Natsuki stuttered. A panicked feeling struck her instantly. She bent her head down - following Shizuru's gaze - to her own left side. Natsuki gasped - unable to speak - as she stared at the blood rapidly soaking through her shirt.
That's when it hit her. "Wait," Natsuki's eyes snapped back to meet Shizuru's. "...He...he did this. Shizuru, you don't understand!" Natsuki spoke frantically as she looked over at the door that Ikeda had used to leave. "He did this to me! You can't just... you... you can't..."
"Shhh," Shizuru silenced her softly. "It's alright, Kruger-san." The brown-haired woman walked over to Natsuki once more and placed her left hand gently on Natsuki's forehead. "Just close your eyes," she whispered.
"No! You don't underst..." Natsuki continued to protest.
"Natsuki," Shizuru soothed, "look at me." Natsuki shook her head, and opened her mouth to protest once more. "Look at me," Shizuru repeated firmly.
Natsuki hesitated - panic still coursing through her - before allowing herself to look Shizuru in the eyes. Almost immediately she felt her pounding heart start to slow. Her panic was gradually replaced by a soothing warmth.
"Shhh," Shizuru whispered once more. She slid her hand slowly from Natsuki's forehead down to cover her eyes, and Natsuki felt her eyelids grow heavy.
Finally - with a contented sigh - she allowed her eyes to slowly drift closed.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Look, I'm not saying that I would rip it out. I'm just saying that I could."
Natsuki struggled to open her eyes, but she found herself instantly blinded by the bright light above her. Where... where am I? Slowly, she became aware of the dull ache in her left side.
"You want credit for not ripping the IV out of the arm of an agent that was in critical no more than four hours ago? Are you serious?"
With a wince, Natsuki carefully opened her eyes once more – trying to let them adjust gradually this time. "Those voices," Natsuki realized. "I...I know those voices." Her mind searched for the names that seemed to be on the tip of her tongue.
"I'm just stating that I could forcefully win any time that I wanted to. So really, I don't think that's it's fair to you if we don't just call the bet off right now," the first voice continued.
"Oh nice, Agent Zhang. You're just panicking cause in twelve minutes time, you're actually going to have to admit that you were wrong."
"Agent Zhang," Natsuki realized – the name setting off a chain reaction of memories flooding through her mind. The other agents. Her new post. Garderobe. The case.
The moments just before she had gotten shot.
"I am genuinely startled by your hostility," Nao replied. "I'm trying to do you a favor."
"Just pay up now," Chie countered with a smirk. "I need to buy a new phone anyway."
Natsuki watched as the room slowly shifted into focus. With a small turn of her head, she examined the equipment that she was currently hooked up to. "Upside: I've finally found out where that beeping is coming from," Natsuki realized in annoyance as she studied the electrocardiograph set up beside her. "Downside: it's not shutting up unless my heart stops beating." A quick check confirmed that the room was probably too large to be an ordinary hospital room – leading Natsuki to believe that she was in Garderobe's infirmary.
"We have movement!" A triumphant voice announced loudly beside Natsuki. Natsuki slowly tried to sit up, only to find the pain in her side flare up quickly. Biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain, she flopped back down on the bed – exhaling sharply. "Welcome back Kruger-san!"
Chie cursed loudly. Nao let out a rather spectacular snicker. "And you wouldn't take my offer," she reminded Chie with a smirk.
Natsuki turned to regard the woman who had directly addressed her – recognizing the red-haired woman almost instantly. "Arigato, Agent Sugiura," Natsuki replied. "It's good to be back." Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Natsuki tried to sit up once more. "...I think," she hissed. Pain tore through her side once again, and Natsuki was unable to stifle a curse.
"Hey!" Agent Helene burst through the infirmary doors with an annoyed look on her face. "What did I say about her waking up?"
"To let you know immediately and not to let her move around?" Midori replied.
"That would be it," Yohko replied with an expectant look on her face.
"Well in that case Yohko-chan," Midori stated, "I feel I should let you know that Kruger-san is now awake."
Yohko gave Midori an unimpressed look. "Thank you. I had no idea, whatsoever," she replied sarcastically, though she was unable to hide the amused smile on her face.
Natsuki glanced around the large room. Her eyes scanned the row of empty beds beside her, but she didn't find what she looking for. "Where's Shizuru?" She wondered – a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. She replayed the last moments before she had lost consciousness, biting her lip a little when she remembered just how helpless she had felt. "I guess Shizuru just had better things to do," Natsuki decided – her emotions a mixture of bitter realization and sharpening anger. "Even Agent Sugiura's here," Natsuki mentally snapped. "And I only talked to her once."
"In Agent Sugiura's defense, Agent Kruger just woke up a second ago," Nao cut in. Midori turned to face Nao with a genuinely surprised look on her face; since when did Nao defend anyone? "Which – I might add – was at precisely 1:48," Nao finished triumphantly. She turned to look at Chie with a satisfied grin on her face. Midori watched the exchange and rolled her eyes a little. With that, she walked back over to her chair and sat down.
"What is going on with you two?" Yohko asked Chie and Nao in an exasperated tone.
"Why would you think that something was going on between us?" Nao countered with a raised eyebrow. Chie gulped a little at the look on Yohko's face.
"Agent Sugiura?" Yohko demanded, turning to stare at the red-headed woman directly. Midori paled instantly.
"They had a bet running to see what time she would wake up," Midori relented. "Nao won," she added with a shrug. "Kruger-san, you must have a very fast metabolism."
"Out!" Yohko groaned.
"Hey!" Midori pouted.
"All of you," The doctor insisted. Nao couldn't help but smirk as Yohko grabbed Midori and forced her towards the door.
"Wait!" Midori cried out – breaking free to grab the box of chocolates on the small desk beside Natsuki's bed.
"Hey," Natsuki frowned. She tried to clear her throat a little when the words came out sounding hoarse. Why was her mouth so dry? "Aren't those supposed to be for me?"
"Hmm?" Midori stared at her blankly. "Oh, no, they're not. I'm a nervous eater," she explained.
"Please leave," Yohko replied with an exasperated laugh. Placing her hand on the red-haired agent's arm, she quickly guided her out of the room.
"I'm glad that you're okay, Kruger-san," Midori called out over her shoulder. There was a softness in her voice that wasn't there before. When she, Nao and Chie had left the room, Yohko gently closed the door behind them.
"I feel the need to apologize for their horrible bedside manner," Yohko laughed.
Natsuki couldn't help but smile. "It's fine."
There was a small pause. Yohko hesitated for a moment – not entirely sure how she should proceed. Natsuki watched with interest as the doctor finally started to walk towards her bed.
"I'm going to presume that you've already figured out where you are," Yohko smiled gently. "To be honest, you seem to be unusually responsive upon waking up. When most people given the same treatment regain consciousness they aren't very lucid, which leads me to believe that you do function at an unusually high metabolic rate." Yohko paused, and waited for Natsuki to look her in the eyes. "And if your body dealt with the drug that I'd given you to help you regain consciousness that quickly, I'm going to guess that you're metabolizing the pain killers just as fast."
Natsuki hesitated, then glanced down at her side. The throbbing continued persistently. "It's really not that bad," she lied. But it wasn't only the pain that was the bothering her; her stomach clenched tightly as she tried to sort out the pieces of the case that she remembered.
"Agent Kruger?" Yohko raised an eyebrow. "Never lie to your doctor."
"I'm fine," Natsuki replied defensively – snapping out of her daze.
"Tell me again that you're not in any pain," Yohko challenged Natsuki. She glanced over at the heart-rate monitor and watched it expectantly.
Natsuki followed Yohko's gaze and rolled her eyes. "I'm not in any pain," she stated firmly.
A small smile formed on Yohko's face when the electrocardiograph showed no irregularities whatsoever. "You've had good training," she stated simply – turning back to Natsuki. The beeps emitted from the machine remained constant. "Though I don't really suppose this is as effective as a lie detector. Still, under the influence of those pain killers, disciplined heart-rate control is quite a feat. They tend to make people feel a little more... open."
Natsuki forced a small smirk onto her face. "Or maybe I'm just telling the truth."
Yohko locked eyes with the younger woman for a moment. In a decisive motion, she took a step forward and gently pressed down on Natsuki's abdomen – careful to avoid pressing directly on the entrance wound.
Natsuki barely had time to brace herself for the pain. She bit her lip firmly, but was unable to stop a sharp cry from escaping her lips. The beeps from the monitor suddenly doubled in rate.
"Okay, okay... easy..." Yohko said soothingly. She quickly removed her hands and waited for the grimace on the navy-haired agent's face to disappear. "I'm raising your dose," she announced. Natsuki opened her mouth to object, but Yohko raised her hand to stop her. "No arguments."
The young doctor walked over to the other side of Natsuki's bed and began to adjust the equipment. Natsuki craned her neck to watch. She thought about trying to protest once again, but after trying to shift her position once more, she quickly reconsidered. After a few seconds, Yohko turned and walked back around to the other side of the bed. She seemed to pause again, as if she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing.
"Is it alright if I have a seat?" Yohko asked Natsuki – gesturing to the bed.
Natsuki studied the worried look on the other woman's face and nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure," she replied. "It's your bed anyway," she added with a forced laugh.
Yohko gave a small smile, but it was soon replaced by a look of unconcealed concern. "You came out of surgery around forty-five minutes ago. I didn't perform the surgery, but I know the doctor who did," she spoke. "He's very good at what he does," she added. "It was performed at the hospital three blocks over. We had you transferred here as soon as you came out of critical condition."
There was a small pause. "The bullet entered through the left side of your abdomen and lodged itself in the tissue just beside the lower part of your stomach." Yohko placed her hand on her own side, as if to demonstrate. "Look, the last thing that I want to do is scare you Agent Kruger, so I'm just going to spare you the details."
"Don't," Natsuki spoke softly. She matched Yohko's questioning gaze evenly. "I want to know," she finished – her gaze dropping down to her own left side.
After a long pause, Yohko slowly nodded her head. The doctor cleared her throat as she readjusted her position on the bed. Natsuki was very aware of how uncomfortable she seemed to be. "...Any lower and your large intestine would have been hit. You would have gone septic," Yohko finally spoke. "Any higher, and the bullet would have impacted your stomach, and just four millimeters to the left and you would have shattered your lower rib, which may or may not have sent bone fragments flying off in..." Yohko trailed off, closing her eyes as if it took some effort to stop herself from continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that this was a very close call," she continued. "You should consider yourself to be very lucky."
There was a brief pause before Natsuki nodded – her face quite pale, even taking into account her unusually fair complexion.
"Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way," Yohko laughed a little, "there are a couple of ground rules that I'm going to have to set."
Realization dawned on Natsuki's face, but – before the navy-haired woman could protest – she was cut off. "No leaving this bed for the next two days," Yohko stated firmly.
"Two...two days!" Natsuki exclaimed.
"Two days," the doctor repeated with a nod. "Now, as you can see, I've given you some prime real estate here," she smiled – gesturing to the bathroom that was only a few feet away. "But whenever you need to use the washroom, you're going to have to page me, and I'll help you over.
"Are you kidding me?" Natsuki groaned.
"Just be glad that I decided not to give you catheter, Agent Kruger," Yohko replied. "Other than that, you are not to engage in psychical activity of any kind. I'll be rolling you over onto your side and then your back in two-hour intervals. Please don't attempt it by yourself. I'll also be changing your bandages three times a day. We have to very careful to keep the wound clean. Oh, and if at any time you see any sort of fluid discharge from the wound, I want you to page me over immediately," Yohko added.
"Oh, that's just wonderful," Natsuki replied – her tone sarcastic, but her face completely neutral. "I will definitely let you know if anything starts to... ooze."
"I'd appreciate that," Yohko replied with a smile. "If you feel any signs of fever, nausea, dizziness – anything like that – let me know as well. Just push that button of the side of your bed and I'll make me way over. Like I said, the painkillers may do some whacky things to you. Nothing too extreme. They've been known to cause some particularly vivid dreams, but if you start to feel any worse then you do now, give me a call."
"Vivid dreams," Natsuki smirked. "You can say that again." Her mind wandered back to the dream she had just had. She was already starting to forget bit and pieces of it, but she could still remember how real everything had felt.
How real Shizuru had felt.
"Wait... did I really just say that out loud?" Natsuki wondered. Her face burned a little as she looked up to see if Yohko had reacted.
"Oh?" Yohko asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Nightmare or fantasy?"
Natsuki hesitated, then laughed after a moment. At least the doctor didn't seem to think anything in particular of it. "Would you think it was weird if I honestly wasn't sure?"
"Ah," Yohko grinned. "That's the worst kind."
Natsuki nodded her head a little. "I'm with you on that one," she agreed – feeling a little bit of relief that the doctor hadn't asked her for details. "So, speaking of Agent Viola," she continued, "...did she go home for the day or..."
"Were we?" Yohko asked curiously.
"Were we what?" Natsuki replied – a confused look crossing her face before she could conceal it. What is she talking about?
"Talking about Viola-san," Yohko replied evenly. She studied the younger agent's face carefully.
"Well, yeah cause..." Natsuki stated, then stopped abruptly. "Wait... what?" she continued – a look of panic crossing her face. Her cheeks burned before she could regain her composure. It was as if every facial expression took twice as long to suppress – almost as if she was a little tipsy. "I mean... no, we weren't, I just..."
"It's alright," Kruger-san," Yohko smiled. She gestured to the clear bag hooked up to Natsuki's IV. "You're just probably a little more prone to loose associations right now."
"Yeah," Natsuki forced a laugh, "I guess you could say I feel a little out of it."
"Interesting." Nao's voice made both Natsuki and Yohko turn towards the infirmary door. The red-haired agent was casually leaning against the doorway, but stepped into the room after a few moments had passed.
"Agent Zhang, Kruger-san really needs to rest right now," the doctor protested.
"I know," Nao agreed. "I just need a few minutes with her."
Natsuki studied Nao's face wearily – searching for a telltale smirk or mischievous glint in her eyes – but found nothing suspicious. "It's fine," Natsuki finally spoke. "I get the feeling that I'll have plenty of time to sleep later."
"...If you're sure," Yohko agreed. "Anyway Agent Kruger, the overall plan is that after two days we'll get you exercising. Then, in around six days – if everything goes as expected – you should be able to leave. You'll need to make the necessary preparations though" she continued. A confused look crossed Natsuki's face once again. "You may need some help getting around for a few days after your release. I recommend that you ask a friend to look after you," Yohko explained. "They could stay at your house, or have you stay at theirs. I can provide you with a good cover story if needed, and you'll just have to be careful not to let them see the wound. But I'm sure that director Wong would really rather that not be a loose end to worry about. It's probably be best if you keep this within our agency."
Natsuki nodded slowly. "Well, at least I have six days to work something out," she muttered. She'd just moved to Garderobe; she didn't even have any friends outside of the agency that would be willing to live with her for a few days.
"Alright, well..." Yohko trailed off and glanced over at Nao once again. "...I guess I'll leave you both to it. Page me if you need anything." She walked over to the infirmary exit and closed the door gently behind her.
Natsuki looked up at Nao wearily. "Yeah?" she asked in an exasperated tone.
Nao took one look at the blatantly annoyed look on the navy-haired agent's face and grinned. "Sorry," she smirked, "I didn't realize that my standing here would have such a profound effect on you."
Natsuki sighed – nodding her head at Nao's point. "It's not that," she muttered, "...it's just the stupid painkiller I'm on."
"Yeah," Nao replied in agreement. "I heard it was doing all sorts of weird things to you. Like somehow planting the subconscious thought of Shizuru in all manner of compromising positions into your mind."
"Wow," Natsuki replied just a little too slowly. "I get shot by an idiot with a hero complex, shoved into an infirmary, loaded up with painkillers, and I happen to mention the name of the woman I took a bullet for, and the first thing that you think of is... compromising dreams. Really, Agent Zhang. And you call yourself a profiler," she smirked.
"Alright, Agent Kruger," Nao replied with an unimpressed look on her face, "you stated that the painkillers were effecting you." She paused for a moment to let Natsuki process what she had said. "I have never heard you admit to vulnerability. You wouldn't pull out of a case that everyone knew could get you killed. You wouldn't admit to feeling fear after being held at gunpoint in a moving car. You wouldn't even admit to being in pain after being shot in the side. But suddenly – when you associate intense dreams with Agent Viola – you state that the painkillers have taken an effect on your mental acuity. I find that interesting, don't you, Agent Kruger?" she asked with a small smile.
Natsuki was torn between anger and embarrassment; was she really so easy to figure out?
"And though, I will admit that painkillers are an easy scapegoat," Nao continued, "I would like to point out that a scapegoat is only needed to cover something up. Your little Freudian slip told me that your dream was about Shizuru. But what sort of dreams starring Shizuru would need to be hidden? Add in the fact that your main insecurities appear to be about your sexuality and your obvious sexual attraction to Viola-san, and it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together," Nao stated. "...And yes, Agent Kruger, I call myself a profiler."
An enraged look had crossed Natsuki's face by the time that Nao had finished. "I am not attracted to Viola-san!" Natsuki snapped.
"No?" Nao asked innocently. "Actually, I'd say this went a little bit beyond physical attraction, wouldn't you? You, and I quote 'took a bullet for' Viola-san. Don't even try to tell me that you would do that for just anyone."
"It's my job," Natsuki insisted angrily.
"It was your job to throw yourself in front of a speeding bullet?" Nao clarified. "Cause oddly enough, I don't think that's in your contract."
"Nao!" Natsuki yelled furiously. "What else was I supposed to do?"
Nao opened her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, so we're using first names now?" she laughed gleefully. "I'm honored...Natsuki."
Natsuki winced, then slowly gritted her teeth. "Sorry," she forced the word out, though it took considerable effort. "Agent Zhang," she corrected, then went right back to glaring.
Nao couldn't help but grin. "Look," she stated in an amused tone. "I'm fine with you calling me by my fist name when we're off duty. It's more efficient. And I'm honestly not trying to antagonize you," she stated. "Though I will admit it is a perk," she added as an afterthought.
Natsuki's glare hardened.
"Okay, here's the deal," Nao continued. With a quick movement, she sat down on the edge of Natsuki's bed. "Protocol states that after an incident such as this you're going to need to pass a physical and psychological screening before going back on active duty."
"No!" Natsuki's eyes widened in horrific realization.
"I'm the one in charge of your psychological screening," Nao stated – confirming Natsuki's fears.
Natsuki just stared at Nao for a moment before shaking her head. "So what exactly does this screening entail?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"It's nothing major," Nao commented. "We're just going to talk a little bit about what happened. The sooner the better. Alright?"
"Can't it wait until after I've recovered?" Natsuki asked with raised eyebrows.
"In cases like these it's actually better if we do this as soon as you can handle it," Nao replied, though she offered no explanation why. Natsuki held her questioning look. After a long moment, Nao sighed. "Recalling traumatic experiences in as much detail as possible soon after they occur helps to prevent post-traumatic stress," she explained.
"...Oh," Natsuki replied just a little bit too quietly. The seriousness of what had happened to her was starting to sink in.
"Do you think..." Nao started, then seemed to reconsider her statement. "Do you feel that you are able to discuss what happened now?"
"Now?" Natsuki repeated – her eyes widening a little. She swallowed hard and forced herself to meet the red-haired agent's gaze. "Y...yeah, sure," she replied hoarsely.
Nao's studied the way that Natsuki's fist clenched her left arm. "...You know what, you really do need to get some sleep," Nao commented. Natsuki clearly needed some time to process what had happened. "I can come back later. And if I'm not mistaken – because we both know that I rarely am – you're probably wondering where Viola-san is," Nao added.
Natsuki didn't reply, but Nao didn't need verbal confirmation. She could see how badly Natsuki wanted to know.
"Agent Viola was ordered by Director Wong to remain at the office until the end of the work day. He gave her the whole 'one of the most important parts of a cover is getting out clean' speech. She'll have to keep working there until the end of the week. We managed to prevent the Foreign Affairs Office employees from getting close enough to the ambulance to see what happened, so we sold the shooting to the press as local gang activity."
"There's no known gang activity in the area," Natsuki replied with a small frown.
"There is now," Nao smirked. "I've got a couple first-class agents out spray-painting the nearby buildings for effect. The employees at the office believe that you got caught in the cross fire of two rival gangs."
"What about Ikeda?" Natsuki demanded. "He's not going to be held responsible for shooting me?"
"He will be," Nao replied, "...discretely."
"Discretely?" Natsuki repeated with raised eyebrows.
"Let's just say that since Ikeda was not actually responsible for Arai's death and believed that he was saving his employees by shooting you, the higher powers still want him in office. And the image of Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Minister shooting an agent in a delusional moment of glory isn't exactly something they want broadcast to the masses."
"I see," Natsuki replied slowly. She wasn't entirely surprised by what Nao had told her, but she couldn't help but be annoyed that Ikeda would get off with a slap on the wrist. "You didn't release my name, did you?" Natsuki asked as a horrific thought occurred to her. "To the press, I mean."
"No, of course not. Why?" Nao asked curiously.
"Because the last thing I need is my mother storming down here and finding out that my job description is a hell of a lot more interesting than it says on the pamphlet I sent her." Natsuki replied. "Plus she may not be thrilled with the idea of me getting shot."
"You're making me wish we had released your name," Nao grinned. "Anyway, Agent Viola should drop by as soon as her shift ends."
"Okay," Natsuki replied – trying not to sound too hopeful. "She um..." Natsuki cleared her throat before trying to speak again. "She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to."
"I'll let her know," Nao replied with a smug look on her face. She studied Natsuki's face for a moment before nodding in Natsuki's general direction. "Get some rest Kruger-san. I'll see you later."
Natsuki watched wordlessly as Nao left the infirmary. Carefully, she lifted up her left arm to examine the IV sticking out of it. It was surprising how much effort such a small movement took. With a small sigh, she let her arm fall back onto the bed. She could feel the drugs working; the pain in her side had diminished and it was that much harder to keep her eyes open. Finally, she gave in and allowed her eyes to drift closed.
Shizuru took a deep breath before completing the walk up to the Agency's front entrance. Every step that she took felt like a battle between maintaining composure and collapsing. She forced herself to open the front door, averting her eyes from her reflection in the glass.
Her hands shook as she closed the door behind her. Shizuru's mind cycled through the events of the day uncontrollably, playing out scenes in painfully vivid detail. The startled looks on employee faces as they were sold the cover story by the local police. The sick feeling in her stomach as the other agents helped her scrub the blood off her hands and change so that she could get back to the office. The effort that it had taken to stop herself from flinching every time someone whispered Natsuki's name.
"Viola-san," Chie called out with a friendly smile. She stood up from her chair at the front desk, then hesitated. Shizuru could see the smile falter on Chie's face for the small moment before Chie could catch herself.
"Good evening, Hallard-san," Shizuru replied with a forced smile. The two agents stared at each for a long moment, each one unsure how to act under the circumstances.
"H...Helene-san said that Kruger-san has been drifting in and out, but that everything seems to be just fine," Chie offered.
"That's good to hear." Shizuru smiled genuinely. "You're working late," she added. It was already around seven. All of the employees not working a time-sensitive case would have already gone home for the day.
"I'm just finishing up," Chie replied. "I spoke to the janitor that Kruger-san was temping for, and he agreed to go back to work tomorrow. Let's just say that Masashi-san was... persuasive. I don't think he'll be giving you any trouble."
"That's good to hear." Shizuru nodded. "Ookini for the information." She walked over to the second door, swiped her key-card through the scanner, and pressed her thumb onto the pad. When the door opened, she turned back to give Chie a small smile goodbye, then walked down the hallway towards the infirmary.
When she had only taken a few steps, the door leading to the stairwell opened and Nao walked out towards her.
"Viola-san," Nao greeted her. "I was just leaving. Are you going in to see..." she trailed off and pointed towards the infirmary.
Shizuru followed her gaze and nodded. Before she could speak, Nao cut her off.
"Are you holding up okay?" Nao asked – trying to make the question sound as casual as possible.
"I'm alright," Shizuru replied mechanically, "ookini for asking."
Nao studied her face for a moment before nodding. "Well," she added, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, Nao brushed passed her and started to head for the entrance.
"Agent Zhang," Shizuru called out hesitantly. Nao stopped and turned back to face the brown-haired agent.
"Yep?" Nao asked.
"...Ookini," Shizuru repeated – the word sounding far less forced the second time. "I don't... I don't think I would have been able to continue working if you hadn't been there to..." she hesitated – searching for the right words, "...keep me grounded," she said finally. Nao had been spent almost the entire day instructing Shizuru through her ear piece. Without her, Shizuru was almost certain that she would have fallen apart.
"No problem," Nao replied with a small grin, downplaying her contribution in her usual manner. "She asked about you," she added after a moment – gesturing once more to the infirmary behind Shizuru.
"...And?" Shizuru replied, suddenly finding it much harder to breathe.
"I told her that Director Wong ordered you to stay there and help the police sell the story."
"I see," Shizuru replied quietly, as she studied the floor in front of her. "Is that all?"
Nao studied the concerned look on the other agent's face. "I didn't tell her how dangerously close to insubordinate you acted when he told you that you couldn't go with her to the hospital, if that's what you mean."
Shizuru's eyes snapped up to meet the other agents, and she cursed herself for acting so transparently.
"Director Wong was right, you know," Nao added. "There would have been too much suspicion if you weren't there to help smooth things over."
Shizuru hesitated. "I know," she replied.
"I also didn't tell her that in all the years I've known you, I've never seen you so close to breaking down," Nao added quietly.
Shizuru could only meet her gaze for a moment before looking away.
"I didn't tell her," Nao repeated, "...but maybe you should." The red-haired agent seemed to consider saying more, before finally turning and heading for the exit.
Shizuru watched her leave – immobilized while processing everything that she had said. Exhaling slowly, Shizuru finally turned and walked over to the infirmary door. She reached out – hand trembling violently – and wrapped her fingers around the door-handle.
Throughout the day it had seemed as if all her thoughts were consumed by the idea of speaking to Natsuki once more. But now that she was here, she had no idea what to say. She had raced home to change as soon as she had gotten off work and every step closer had felt ridiculously slow. Now she was struggling to work up the courage just to open the door.
Forcing her hand to twist the handle before she could reconsider, Shizuru gently opened the door and stepped inside.
Her shoes clicked quietly against the tile as she walked over to the only occupied bed – her view of Natsuki's face obstructed by the curtain draped sloppily around it. Heart pounding furiously, Shizuru peeled back the curtain and her gaze fell on the navy-haired agent before her.
The first thing that she noticed was the way that Natsuki's eyes appeared to busily shift beneath her closed eyelids – confirming that the younger agent was deep within a dream. Shizuru made her way over to the head of the bed, being careful to slow her footsteps down to the point where they were inaudible. Carefully, she sat down in the cushioned chair that had been dragged over by some previous visitor.
Shizuru's eyes traced the way that the white sheets were tucked around Natsuki's thin form, then rested on the younger agent's face. "She still has that small, pensive frown," Shizuru realized with a small smile. "Even in her sleep." Natsuki's hair was spread out onto her shoulders and the bed behind her – cascading down in such a way that it almost looked as if it had been positioned purposefully.
Just for one moment, Shizuru let herself forget why Natsuki was there.
But Natsuki shifted a little in her sleep and the beeps emanating from the electrocardiograph quickened before gradually falling back down to normal. Natsuki's arm fell down against the bed beside her and Shizuru's gaze dropped to the IV sticking out of her arm.
Just like that, the illusion was shattered.
The skin around the IV's entry point was bruised a dark shade of purple. When Shizuru looked at Natsuki's face once again, she could no longer focus on the almost peaceful expression that Natsuki wore. All she could see were dark circles under eyes and tangled hair and pale skin.
Anyone else would look so... fragile.
"...But not you," Shizuru whispered softly – unsure if the words even made it out at all. Her vision slowly blurred as tears she had been holding back for what seemed like an eternity refused to be contained. "You are so beautiful."
Shizuru clasped a trembling hand to her mouth – physically holding back her sobs as tears streamed down her face. She gasped hungrily for air as her body shook uncontrollably – clenching her eyes in the effort not to make a sound.
"Shizuru?" The whisper sent chills up Shizuru's spine. Her eyes shot open and the image of Natsuki's concerned face slowly shifted into focus. Shizuru quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and inhaled as slowly as she could to regain her composure. "What's wrong?" Natsuki mumbled sleepily. Shizuru could see the younger woman was struggling to force her eyes open. She must be exhausted.
"Shhh," Shizuru whispered soothingly, though her voice was laced with a telltale shakiness. "Everything's fine."
"Is this a dream?" Natsuki asked sleepily. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed as she tried to piece together what was going on.
Shizuru hesitated – unsure how to answer. Her mind screamed frantically for her to say 'yes', but she couldn't deny that there was a small part of her – some deep, unspoken desire – daring her to answer 'no'.
"...yes," Shizuru whispered. She couldn't help but flinch as she spoke. "Goodnight Agent Kruger." Wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, Shizuru started to get up out of her chair.
"Wait." Suddenly Natsuki's hand was on Shizuru's arm. The contact alone gave Shizuru goosebumps. The brown-haired woman turned back to face the younger agent wordlessly. "Can we just pretend that it isn't?" Natsuki whispered hazily. "Could you stay with me this time? Just for a little while?"
Natsuki's grip on Shizuru's arm tightened pleadingly. With newly-blurring vision, Shizuru found herself nodding before she could stop herself. "Of course," she murmured soothingly. Easing back into her chair, Shizuru carefully slid Natsuki's hand off of her arm. The younger woman's fingers seemed to almost reflexively intertwine with hers, and Shizuru traced small circles on the back of Natsuki's hand with her thumb. Using her other hand, Shizuru reached out and brushed the long hair from Natsuki's face. The younger woman's face seemed to relax into a small, content smile as Natsuki finally allowed her eyes to drift closed.
Shizuru's hand gently traced the contour of Natsuki's cheek. The electrocardiograph's beeping gradually slowed back into a steady pace.
"You know," Shizuru whispered – her lips brushing against the back of Natsuki's hand, "I really do think I would stay with you forever."
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! :D Hope you liked it!