Hi! Another chapter to make up for my previous semi-late one. Hope you enjoy, this one gets rather sad.
Torment
Chapter Four
Cagalli sighed as she glanced at the blue haired man out of the corner of her eyes. The lack of privacy was really becoming annoying over the last few days. She couldn't do a damn thing without being in a constant line of sight, including even using the washroom. The little hole in the wall that was considered the washroom was far from functional. Even the shower only consisted of a single pipe from the ceiling that drained into a hole on the ground. The man could pretend all he wanted that he was disinterested and reading his book but she doubted he could be that inept at his job.
The last few days had been quiet, with minimal words ever exchanged. Nobody never left nor entered the room which she didn't mind at all. She didn't want another incident like before. Inside the blonde was becoming increasingly more impatient at the situation, just how many more days would she holed up in the middle of no where. The window offered a great view of nothing but dirt and sand, really leaving her nothing to do but wade through her memories day in and out.
She cringed when she heard a loud crash a short distance away, probably in another room. Whatever organization had her were really rowdy. They didn't care for anything, not even fellow comrades. They had about as much respect for one another as they did her, constantly picking ego fights and beating one another to a pulp. So the occasional loud shout and crashing wasn't too surprising. Although it was enough give a small startle to the blonde, after all anything could happen in her situation as she had found. When it happened again she noticed the bluenette put down his book , turning to watch the door intently as if someone would burst in any second. A few minutes passed and he once again resumed his reading. Not even seconds later the lights flickered briefly before dying out. Something definitely wasn't right.
The room was semi dark now, with an orange glow coming from the one window as the sun set on the horizon. There was a light scuffle as the blue hair man got to his feet, making his way closer to the door. His actions were humorous to the blonde, he didn't carry a weapon so any intruder would have to brawl it out with him. Cagalli didn't dare make a movement, she didn't want to get mixed in whatever was going down. Even if it would be a good time to make a run for it, she'd be in the middle of no where without any food or water. She sighed at thought, it was really tempting.
A loud crack was heard, like wood splintering. It was close, if she didn't know better it was probably the door. She watched a small canister glided across the floor next, her heart heart immediately leaped into her chest. It almost reminded her of a grenade, but instead it started spewing an opaque gas. There was a loud curse from the blue hair man as he quickly disappeared within the fumes. Cagalli continued to stay perfectly still until she was startled by the sound of an electric zap. A loud thud followed shortly after. She guessed that Dino was now subdued by whoever the intruders were. Multiple sets of footsteps were heard in the room, some of them approaching her ever so slowly. Her heart continued to beat away, unsure if they were friendly or merely a rival counterpart of the organization. The smoke had filled the room by now making it impossible to see anything. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and immediately curled her fists to fight off the intruder.
"Wait!" came the muffled voice. She didn't stop, the voice wasn't one she recognised. She pulled back her fist and let it rip fourth for everything she could put behind it.
"Cagalli stop" the voice now much clearer as he caught her punch in a hand. "It's me" the blonde didn't register the voice, and continued her own assault. "Calm down" he repeated, grabbing the other hand before she'd get the chance to fire it off. A second later the voice clicked and the blonde froze in her tracks.
"Kira?" She said completely shocked. An instant relief hit her as she stared into the nothingness of the smoke. "Wha-why are you here" she said slowly, trying to grasp what was going on.
"Shhhh, we have to get out of here now" he said in a hushed voice, grabbing her wrist and pulling her forward. She didn't argue, this was her ticket to freedom. Her legs wobbled as she blindly got pulled along. Why was he sent of all people, he shouldn't have been put in harms way. Her father must of specifically sent him, it was too big of a coincident. She suddenly tripped over a bump on the ground sending her tumbling to the dirt floor. It occurred to her that it was the blue haired man as her hands brushed over his body. She felt a twinge of guilt for his current condition, he was the reason she was still alive circumstances aside. There was a sharp tug on her arm, edging her forward.
"Hurry up, we don't have much time" came Kira's voice once again. She scurried to her feet, following behind him closely. They didn't even reach the doorway when a blazing alarm went off. Curses were heard all around as they picked up there pace. By the time they reached outside there were people running about with guns of all sizes trying to figure out what was happening. Flood lights had the surrounding area lit up like it the dawn of day. She hid behind Kira trying to shield herself from the attention. Her brother's attire was similar to their own. They slid around the building, hiding in its shadow as they tried to find a viable exit route. Aside from Kira and herself there were 3 others, all dressed in matching clothing. Cagalli collapsed to ground, grasping for any air she could, she was really out of shape.
"C'mon we have to go now, can you walk" he said. The blonde looked up at her brother bewildered, she was becoming increasingly overwhelmed at the situation. Kira immediately grabbed her bridal style in his arms and took off running, the others following closely behind. There was a loud crackle behind them as they were spotted by a guard. Luckily the bullet missed and several were fired back in return. The village was a small one with only twenty or so structures that sat on top of a rather steep hill. The hill probably gave a good view of anyone entering or leaving the area, perfect for holding hostages.
Cagalli noticed a drop of water on her hand, immediately becoming fixed on it. Was she crying? Her question was answered as several other drops fell, it was raining. What a time to start, she'd never seen rain a single day since she'd been taken. She welcomed the coolness, much better then the humid heat. She looked up at her brother who was running profusely, his features screamed of someone deep in thought. She looked around at the surroundings, they were becoming slowly engulfed in darkness the closer they got to the villages borders. It didn't stop the pursuers though, as the frequency of shots was slowly increasing.
A loud yell was heard as one of the four men with Kira crashed to the ground, grabbing his leg in pain. They stopped, returning fire once again on the enclosing pursuers.
"Run! We'll catch up!" came the demand from another one of the men. Kira surveyed the situation before looking down at Cagalli, they couldn't all be sitting ducks.
"How far out are reinforcements?" He said, quickly scanning the surroundings.
"They just radio'd in, 5minutes" Kira sighed at the large time window, a lot of thing's could happen in such a long period. As much as he wanted to save him, it could potentially cost the mission and the others their life's.
"Don't be late, we'll try to lure them away from here" he said, taking off running once again. The rain was coming increasingly heavier now, almost a full downpour, making it difficult to see. They didn't make it far when more shots fired, they were a lot closer now. Kira cursed as he lost his footing, sending both himself and Cagalli sliding down a small muddy slope and into a clearing. This wasn't good at all, they were at a huge disadvantage now. The blonde looked over at her brother who had already unholstered his own weapon knowing what was coming. They would be forced to fight until reinforcements came, knowing full well if they were to run back up the hill against oncoming fire, it would't prove too well. Cagalli tried to take in her surroundings, everything looked so surreal that it seemed to slow down. A large group of men could be seen on top the hill, each gun reflecting off what little light there was. More shots were fired and the blonde was shoved to the ground as Kira shielded her.
"Run, hide!" Kira said, as he turned around to fire. " Take this and don't turn around no matter what" he said, tossing her a small radio and flare. The blondes senses finally came back to her as she grabbed the two items and ran with the little strength she had left. She didn't make it all to far him she heard a ear splitting scream. She turned around just as her brothers figured fell to the ground. More shots were fired and Kira became a motionless lump in the shadows. Cagalli stood there in shock for what seemed to be forever as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
"Kira!" she yelled as she dropped everything in her hand and dashed back to his side. She slid the last few steps through the mud, landing on her knees. She shook his body as she tried to examine the injuries, hoping for the smallest of response. Even in the darkened surroundings the crimson blood seemed to glow luminously. Her hands moved feverishly over his body trying to find a source for all the blood. There was so much of it. "Kira, say something" she said almost hysterically, hoping that he was still alive. She brushed the soaked hair from his face trying to provoke a response, but that too failed. Rain continued to pour, soaking everything it touched in mere seconds.
"Cagalli, run" he said weakly, looking up the blonde. His eyes were almost glassy now, he was losing blood fast. Before she knew it invisible tears were cascading down her face, blending in the the torrential downpour. She wrapped her arms around her brother trying to give back the warmth that he was so quickly losing. In the corner of her eye she could see men start to slide down the slope, guns still in hand. It only made her cling to him tighter, she wasn't going to let him go. Surely he'd pull through, he had to. There were shouts behind her but she couldn't be bothered to listen, she could only focus on the horrifying truth in front of her. They tried again to get her attention, this time firing a shot in the air. Although the blonde didn't so much as flinch from the loud crackle. Her whole body trembled and rocked with each new emotion. She was so angry at the situation, sad for what had happen, but so glad to have someone she knew with her.
"Come now" this time the voice was familiar, Alex Dino. He'd awoken from his taser induced nap and had made his way out. She wouldn't leave her brothers side, she'd rather die. She tightened her grip on her brother as if holding the life within him to stay put. There was another warning shot, but that too was ignored. At that moment the blonde's world consisted of just the two of them. Light headiness began to take over as her heart raced in her chest, never seeming to get enough oxygen to satisfy her lungs. It didn't help that every time she looked at the state of her brother all the air seemed to be knocked from her chest, paralyzing her in fear. Her vision slowly began to fade, her body becoming increasingly numb as her brain continued to overdrive in panic. Cagalli's mind drifted back to the incident so many years before as a kid. The feelings completely identical to then, being helpless and so sad. Although back then he had made it through the ordeal, this time she wasn't too sure he'd do it again.
BAH DUN DUN DAHHHH . I'm a terrible person for this chapter but it comes together in the end. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next update.