Kazuha barely noticed the pain of nails digging in her skin. Her heart was thundering in her chest. No matter how many times she had been held hostage—which was a fair few—the terror was still raw in her mind. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she watched the knife hovering dangerously close to her face.
Move and lose an eye, they had warned her. She choked back a cough and wet her lips. Her mouth was like cotton. Even that made the blade twitch, drawing a quiet whimper from her throat.
"Where is that bastard?" The man holding her growled.
The other one, with the knife, glanced at her. Suddenly the knife's point was leveled right between her eyes, making her cross them to watch it. A dry noise left her lips, all she could manage. "You, girl," he barked out, making her flinch. "Where's that detective?"
"I don't know," she lied. She bit back her next words—"And why would I tell you?" She shrank away from the cool metal as it touched her between the eyes. The sharp tip pricked her skin. Redness tinted the corners of her vision as blood trickled down her face. When she blinked, it only got worse.
"Take her to the back room," Knife-man instructed. His lackie, a man with blonde hair, jerked her to the side. A gasp left her mouth as silver flashed before her eyes, the knife too close for just a second. A new line of blood fell from the side of her face.
Blondie dragged her into a different room and shoved her to the ground. The door slammed immediately, leaving her in darkness. She lay on the floor for a second before scrambling forward, pressing her ear to the door. Mumbles were all she could hear. Then there were footsteps and finally silence.
She waited for twenty seconds before reaching forward and gripping the doorknob. It rattled but did not give. Kazuha stepped back, unsurprised but bitterly disappointed. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead, taking calming breaths. When her heart had slowed, she cast her eyes around the room. It was barren, with nothing but a small window to let the darkening sunlight through. Not even a chair had been left in the small space.
Despair crept up her throat. With a sob, Kazuha grabbed at her own hair and pulled until it hurt.
There was a small click of something hitting the floor. She froze, gaze flicking down. There, in a patch of light, was a hairpin. She blinked at it. Then a shaky breath left her mouth and a small smile pulled at her lips. The girl grabbed the pin and tiptoed over to the door. Running her thumb over the knob introduced her to a keyhole. She listened for another second before slipping the pin into the knob.
Something went SLAM in the other room and Kazuha nearly screamed. Instead she fell back with a noisy gasp.
"Where's Kazuha?" Heiji demanded.
"Relax, Tantei-han," Knife-man said smoothly. "She's safe. For now."
"You had better tell me where the hell Kazuha is or—" Suddenly Heiji cut himself off, the silence deafening after the sound of his fury.
"Now, that's not very polite. Why don't you go sit down so we can discuss things rationally?"
There was a small laugh from her friend. "Right ya are. Must have lost my temper for a second there." His voice took on a dangerous tone as he added, "It's a good thing you caught me."
"Is that a threat, Hattori-kun?"
"Depends. Where's Kazuha?"
"All in good time. You'll see your follower soon enough. Not sure if you'll like what you see very much, though."
There was a growl from Heiji. "I swear on my life, if she's hurt..."
For the moment, Kazuha stopped listening. She drew her breath back before crawling forward. The sky had faded into twilight, moonbeams the only light for her to see by. She slid her hand along the wooden planks of the floor. Her fingers skimmed over the hairpin again and she grasped it, pinning her bangs up again. She paused in time to hear Knife-man smoothly drop another threat.
Bracing her shoulders, the teen slid towards the window. She stared at it, several feet above her head. Her hand momentarily brushed the charm around her neck before Kazuha jumped.
Her fingers locked around the window sill. Not letting herself dangle, she heaved herself up so her face was pressed against the tiny frame. Grass and trees filled her vision, stretched out forever before meeting with a rural road. In the sky, a full moon shone down.
Oh my God.
Kazuha dropped to the ground and a roar erupted beyond the door. She shrieked, flinging herself at it. Her fist pounded against the wood as she screamed, "Let me out! Let me out! HEIJI!"
Her voice was lost amidst the screams. Noisy and rapid footsteps pounded against the floor. Someone was yelling, shrieking in agony. Kazuha rattled the doorknob, eyes burning as she screamed for them to run. Feral snarls joined with a man's begging for mercy before his voice cut into a gurgle. Then, there was silence.
"No. No, no, no, oh God HELP ME!"
Another snarl. A scream and a crunch. Kazuha stopped yelling. She slid down, hand still lightly thumping against the wood. All that remained were the growls. Those dwindled into quiet, and then nothing.
Tears dripped down her face. The thundering of her heart began to slow. With a shuddering breath, she stood and pushed the pin into the keyhole. It unlocked, and she tentatively pushed the door open.
She didn't look at the blood. She didn't look at the bodies of the ground. She didn't look at Knife-man's torn throat or Blondie's crushed neck. She only looked at the dark, shaking form of her best friend.
She crossed the room, ignoring the slight wetness of the floor beneath her shoes. Ignoring the stench of blood. "Heiji," she murmured. He flinched. Kazuha crouched down beside him, putting a hand on his bare shoulder. "Heiji, look at me."
"Go away." His voice was a rasp.
"Hei—"
"I said leave!" His head snapped up, eyes flaring angrily, sharp teeth bared in the last remnants of his transformation. She couldn't help but flinch. Immediately, the rage died, leaving only shame. "K-Kazuha."
He looked like a scolded dog. Feeling tears prick at her eyes again, she reached for his face, only to drop her hand when he pulled back. She tried to hide her hurt as she asked, "What happened?"
A haunted light entered Heiji's green eyes. "I—does it matter?" He asked desperately. At her nod, he hesitated. Then his shoulders dropped. He rested his chin on his knees and let out a shaky breath. "...He already had my nerves on edge by pulling that damn gun. Then he starts making threats, saying how he's gonna hurt ya… Said he'd already cut ya up. An' I could smell yer blood on the knife." Suddenly panicked, he jerked up. His hands seized her face. "He didn't, did he? Yer not hurt?"
"I'm fine," she insisted. He continued searching her face until Kazuha shoved his hands away. "No more stalling, Heiji."
He opened his mouth to protest. When he met her eyes, something faded and he shut it again. "I don't really remember," he finally managed. "I just kept getting angrier and angrier and he kept saying how he was gonna hurt ya and… I woke up. And they were both dead, and there was blood in my mouth."
She could see it, now. His dark skin had hid the red traces around his mouth. His now-blunt teeth held crimson stains.
Kazuha drew a breath, then let it out, nothing to say. To tell him it was okay would just be an insult. So all she did was stand up and say, "Come on, Heiji. Let's find you some clothes."
He didn't even blush.
The blood was still there. He could taste it. He could smell it. Heiji gagged, seizing his toothbrush and scrubbing at his teeth more.
There was a knock. He paused, and sniffed, feeling both relieved and afraid when he realized it was Kazuha and not his dad. "One minute," he called, voice distorted slightly by the toothbrush. He rinsed out his mouth, still tasting blood, and stepped into the hall. He tried for a grin, but she clearly wasn't convinced. Heiji allowed himself to slump. "What do ya want from me, Kazuha?" He asked dully.
"I want you to know it's not your fault," she replied.
Irritation spiked in him. "Well that's a bit hard seeing as it is!" He snapped.
"No it's not! It's instinct, Heiji, and you can't help it!"
"Well, that makes me feel so much better! It's in my nature to rip someone's throat out! Great. Now why don't we go skipping through a daisy field cause that fixes every-damn-thing!"
He saw the hurt in her eyes but pushed down his guilt. "Why don't you leave now?" He growled.
Kazuha drew herself up. "Maybe I will. Come find me when you've stopped sulking."
He only snarled at her and whirled around. Heiji was sure to slam his door hard enough to make the walls rattle.
"And don't expect me to help you next month!" Kazuha screamed through the door. His ears picked up a sob beneath her words. Still, he didn't move, only digging his nails into his palms until they nearly drew blood.
He saw her running down the block and didn't miss the way she kept swiping at her eyes.
A scream suddenly bubbled up in his mouth and he slammed his foot against the wall. Pain raced up his toes. Clamping his jaws down on a curse, Heiji collapsed on his bed. "I fucking hate this," he growled.
He turned his head to the mirror, but didn't see himself. All he saw was a wolf.
The youkai-verse returns! Hope this one made sense. I did my best to keep the secret as long as possible, but I'm sure most of you figured it out. If not… I dunno. It'll make sense the next time I do Heiji or Kazuha for the youkai-verse. So I start of Heiji's story with some angst. And violence. And blood. Lot's of blood.
Do I torture him too much? I mean, Gosho does it too, so that makes it alright. Right? I get the feeling that Heiji's almost always in an angsty situation and well... it bugs me. Kind of.
You know what? Never mind. xD
School's almost over! I've been just about drowning in work lately, but after tomorrow things should finally slow down. I can't wait. Only, once summer sets in, I'm going to be scorching in the 105 degree weather. Hurrah.