Happy Holidays and welcome to the tenth chapter, everyone! A special THANK YOU to all who faved and followed, especially to these sweet sweet souls for dropping by just to send Reiya and I their love: MDtwenty Onesart, ice devil cat demon, Crystalpxhlqt, Einklley, Cilenia Alsacia, KimKat95, iizukun, firesoullove8792, RainyRandom, Rosedust13, Fede67489, Sorataro, izukugh, Last Assassin's Shadow, and the two Guests! 💓💓💓
SO! We've finally reached the second half of the Toman vs. Moebius Arc and we're finally at the double-digits! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*:*̥･ﾟI, for one, consider it a memorable accomplishment for having churned out 10 chapters before this year ended (given my terrible, terrible history of updating only, like, once a year), and to mark this truly monumental number our darling second male lead will finally make his appearance! I think some of ya'll already know who it is, and while most of us can't stand love triangles I swear it's going to be really significant for the plot (especially in the future arcs).
Another thing: I've recently cross-posted this story on Wattpad. It's not much, but I hope it's somewhat of a good news for Wattpad users. I'm always going to update first on this site tho, but Cherry Jade is now available for consumption at Wattpad as well should you ever prefer to read it on there ✿ On a side note, this story has undergone a few alterations (nothing major, but you'll definitely notice them if you go back to reread the whole thing) because I'm nitpicky and a perfectionist like that ¯\_(ツ)_/(and also because I have many, many moments where I go "Wait...Oh. OHHH! HOW COULD I FORGET SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT!?" or "Man I gotta rephrase this fuck my life". It's a sickness, I know. And it's terminal too.)
Now I'm not gonna keep you anymore. Here's my humble lil year-end gift for all of you (*´︶`*)💓 Sending all my love to everyone not spending their holidays with their toxic relatives! Ya'll are doing great and I see you 💓
For this chapter's tidbits:
※ A Kozuka is a decorative handle for a knife.
※ An Obi is a decorative sash or belt used to tie a kimono or yukata together around the waist.
A little caution before you proceed: this chapter is violent as hell and littered with mentions of blood. It's also pretty long so don't hesitate to take breaks in between! Get comfy and stay hydrated, 'cause I think you're gonna need it with the other surprise I have in store for ya'll in celebration for our first double-digit chapter (and whoever gets the reference I snuck in there deserves a whole-ass five stars *:･).
Reiya's only beginning to rewrite history, but that isn't to say she has yet to make her mark. Like the moon affecting the tides, her actions, her words...have already begun to stir fate.
〖 Chapter Ten 〗
Battle of 8/3:
Rewriting Tomorrow
What was supposed to be one of the best nights of her life was rapidly becoming a nightmare.
It began with the cold and sudden rain, ending their not-date much earlier than planned. At first, Emma didn't think it was necessarily a bad turn after such a fun night, as she'd already manage to attain what she truly wanted out of it – to have some quality time with Draken.
They played all kinds of games together, ate all kinds of festival junk together. And, contrary to his patent and primary disapprovals, Draken had willingly indulged her. He got each of them an umbrella at the first signs of rainfall. Cool, dependable Draken. Emma suffered not a single drop underneath his watchful gaze.
She had wanted for them to share but alas, beggars can't be choosers. Draken was going to walk her home anyway, and Emma was going to treasure every single moment in his company, every single second she'd have of him.
And then the unthinkable.
Peh-yan appeared out of nowhere, rain-soaked and attired in his customized Toman uniform, his eyes hard and brimming with hate. He stood before them like a vengeful spirit, one that had materialized out of the mist itself.
Something was very, very wrong with Peh-yan. He kept his gaze on the taller male and stayed silent at their attempts to talk to him. Conflict brewed thickly in the air, and Draken wasted no time to address it.
"Emma. Take this and go over there."
He didn't specify which there she was supposed to go, but the meaning of his words was clear: stay away and keep out of the fight.
Emma automatically – albeit reluctantly – took his umbrella, intrinsically compliant to whatever Draken would ever ask of her. What Emma didn't automatically do, however, was move.
A panicked chill chased over her as Draken approached Peh-yan, one that had nothing to do with the rain, rooting her in place. She had no doubts of Draken winning and yet she couldn't take her eyes off of his opponent.
She'd never seen Peh-yan like this. It wasn't right. His stillness, his silence…The way he stood his ground.
The way he lowered his chin.
Footsteps shot out with the staccato of a rapid-fire. There was a flash of white, sharpening into the shape of a man about to slug Draken with a bat.
Emma screamed his name but it was too late.
The sickening sound of wood hitting skin and bone rent into the air. It pierced into her like a knife, tearing her up from the inside out.
"Draken!" she cried again, trembling and heaving as blood gushed down from his glistening temples.
Every muscle tensed in Emma's body, torn between wanting to run to him…protect him and tend to him…but knowing he would never allow it.
Draken staggered once but then he sprang back up, catching his attacker off guard when he retaliated with a sharp jab to the face. His opponent fell in a heap but he wasn't alone, nor was he the last. His companions stormed out from the nearby thicket and more were coming up from the parking lot below, rapidly surrounding Draken from all directions. He renewed his guard and engaged all of them in combat. All except Peh-yan who intentionally kept himself out of reach.
'Fucking coward!' Emma thought in outrage. She was freezing, burning, wrapped in despair at the sight of Draken fighting all by himself. Bleeding and outnumbered, with every block and every blow taking its toll on his monstrous strength.
'This isn't right! I can't stand this…I can't! Am I supposed to just stand here and do nothing!?'
And yet that was exactly what everyone was expecting of her. What Draken wanted from her.
Stay away. Keep out of the fight.
Keep out.
Emma clenched her fists, her teeth. For years she'd kept to her role where Toman was concerned, and that was to stay within the sidelines. She was a part of the gang as much as she was apart from it, and she'd come to accept that years ago. Emma knew full well where she stood, had promised both Mikey and Draken that she wouldn't get too involved with the gang's affairs, that she would keep out of harm's way.
But now she was growing sick of it. Sick of watching and waiting…of not being able to do anything.
She tried to suppress it, tearing up with the effort to stay calm, praying with every breath and trusting in Draken, trusting that it wasn't the worst, that it wasn't something he couldn't handle, that he would never lose.
Lightning and thunder tore across the weeping sky, underscoring the chaos and striking light off of every plane and every outline, including the particular figure of someone creeping up behind Draken with a weapon poised to strike.
Emma staggered forward, her breathing turning fast and faint, the paper bag and umbrellas toppling from her hands. She opened her mouth, her throat aching, chest heaving, voice straining up to warn but what came out was no more than a croak.
She was seized with hideous fear, numbing every nerve, drowning every thought in the cacophony of strident noises…shouts, cries, thundering hits...her brother's exacting words, her beloved's rigid warnings…
But in the hollow of her doubts, her fears, her insecurities…
Emma heard a gentle, feminine voice...Reiya's voice...the unwavering sound of her steadfast words withstanding them all.
"Be brave…Women in love are fearless, fearsome women."
Emma took off, every beat of her racing heart pumping blood in her fast-moving limbs, the rush of adrenaline burning the ice off her veins. She tore through the brawl lightning-fast, the fastest she's ever been her entire life, her senses reawakening with protective fire. She flew into the air, one leg curled as she locked onto her target, and the waterlogged world stood stunned as she descended with a furious roar.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Her geta-padded heel shot down into her target's face, sending him twisting and crashing on the puddle-littered floor. Emma landed low on her calves before leaping back up with her back facing Draken, her mouth twisting into a feral growl.
"Think you can ambush him twice? Well you're gonna have to get through me first!"
Everyone froze, their mouths hanging agape. And for a moment the unrelenting rain was the only source of motion and noise.
In the next second the lot erupted with a chorus of dumbfounded cries.
"Shit!"
"What the hell just happened!?"
"Did you see that!? She knocked him out!"
"Wait a minute that's the Invincible Mikey's sister!"
"Say what!?"
"What the goddamned fuck!? Emma!"
Emma winced at the loudest voice, which happened to be Draken's. She turned to face him, bracing herself, mouth crimping in mingled guilt and defiance but the sense of dread and resistance melted away the moment she really saw him.
Draken was heaving, face twisted in pain, but his eyes were huge and disbelieving, the vivid depths glowing with a spark of wonder. He reached for her and Emma listed towards him, drawn to the way he was looking at her…really looking at her.
"Draken…" she whispered softly.
But then his face turned dark. Draken grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her behind him, nearly making Emma trip on the sodden hems of her kimono. She sputtered. "Wha—! Draken—"
"I thought I told you to stay over there!" he barked, glaring at her from over his shoulder. "You need to go, NOW!"
Emma flinched, her insides turning to stone. Draken had never yelled at her before, nor had he ever looked at her with such ferocity. It was so easy for her to waver right then, to withdraw…to submit…just as she'd always had.
But as she looked into his eyes, down to the unveiled heart of his ire…
He was pissed for her, not at her. And realizing that gave Emma the strength to persevere. The strength to fight. For the first time in her life, Emma wanted to challenge him. Not in rebellion but as someone who loves him.
"I know that," she replied solemnly, rainwater streaking down her cheeks like endless tears but Emma didn't even blink, her honey-golden eyes remaining firm and determined. "I know exactly what I'm getting myself into and I know you'd rather have me by the sidelines and do nothing…But I can't just watch when there's something I can do. I don't want to just stand around and do nothing anymore. I'm staying, Draken…And I'm going to protect you."
The tall blond's stance remained stern and unmoving, but something in his eyes had completely transformed, the heat inhibiting them just moments ago turning into something more intense as they held Emma's own.
It wasn't rage but it was just as strong, just as immolating. Something was shifting between them, elevating into a heightened state of awareness, a state of equals.
Suddenly Peh-yan approached, emerging as the sole dark form amidst the white-garbed group. "You should've stayed out of this, Emma-chan," he taunted lowly, his voice uncharacteristically calm but sounding just as unkind. "Now I gotta kill you, too."
"PEH!" Draken bellowed at the same time Peh-yan signaled to attack. The Moebius members surrounding them dashed right in with three cutting right into their range. Draken instantly turned on them, sinking his fist into one and incapacitating another with a kick to the head. "Leave her out of this!" he added, grunting as he sent the last one reeling towards his companions. "I'm the one you're after. Let her go!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Peh-yan snapped. "You let Pah-chin get taken away...You think I'm gonna listen to you!?"
Draken growled, shifting to go for him but the others instantly blocked him, caging him and Emma in a shrinking circle, with two of them already making for the latter.
"You should've just stayed as a pretty prop up there, blondie," one of them taunted with a nasty smirk. "You might've decked our buddy good but with a rack like that, how long do you think you're gonna last?"
"Touch her and I'll kill you!" Draken roared. He whipped around, parrying and knocking out two more of Moebius' members in the process, but froze with his eyes shooting down the moment he saw just what Emma had done.
Two of them, unconscious, while two more staggered back from a recent assault. His eyes flicked up to her settling figure, watching in awe as Emma gracefully brought her right leg down to the ground, her body poised in battle-readiness, standing proud like a wildflower in a valley filled with thorns.
As if sensing his eyes on her, Emma glanced at Draken from over her shoulder, smiling, before suddenly zipping past him, leaping up to disarm his would-be attacker. The weapon fell to the ground and Draken instantaneously snapped back to attention, sinking his knee hard into the opponent's guts before topping it off with an uppercut. Another aimed to clobber Emma with a bat but Draken blocked him with his forearm, holding him off while Emma delivered a swift blow to the nose.
"Fucking damn it!" Draken swore as he moved to parry another. "You're not supposed to be here, Emma! I want you to leave right now!"
"No!" Emma ducked, narrowly missing the sweep of a wooden rod before spinning low on her calves, one powerful leg cutting right against her opponent's ankles, effectively sending him down on his back. "Did you already forget what I said back there? I thought we had an understanding!"
"The fuck we did!" he spat, the force of his fists intensifying with each biting word. "And that's you getting the fuck outta here!" His opponent fell backwards with blood spurting out of his nose and Draken grabbed another, and another, hitting each one with wrathful vigor. "What part of stay there and leave do you not understand!?"
Emma bristled, doing more or less the same thing in her corner, letting her frustration fuel her every move, her every hit. She dodged a fist, twisting, entering Draken's close range where they abruptly switched sides as he felled her pursuer with a mighty punch to the face. She took the ones behind him, executing feints and incapacitating jabs, each one faster than the human eye could anticipate.
"And I'm telling you…" she grounded out, shoving a palm up as a final hit. "I've got your back!"
"Shit!" one Moebius member exclaimed. "How the hell are they beating us up when they're fighting with each other!?"
Emma's opponent fell in time with Draken's and for a moment no one dared to approach. They whirled around, facing each other, their labored breaths and racing hearts rising in perfect synchrony as startling black held honeyed-gold.
"I've got your back," Emma said again, her eyes filled with an earnest light. "So give it to me...Because I'm not leaving you."
Draken stared at her, staying silent, clearly pissed beyond reason, but the hard edges of his scowl began to soften in reluctance, concern, worry…
And something else.
"Don't forget. I'm a Sano, too," Emma imposed with a theatrical tip of her chin that, had the circumstances been different, would've made the tall blond smile. "And we don't just sit around watching the people we care about getting trashed."
"I wasn't getting trashed," Draken grumbled.
"'Course you weren't. You were just bleeding all over the place."
Draken couldn't help from huffing wryly then, his eyes glinting with amusement before narrowing abruptly. He strode towards Emma, keeping her close with their backs touching as he faced one side while she shielded him from the other, their enemies looming in with menacing glares.
The odds were against them – more than thirty versus two – but somehow, someway, Emma felt they were going to get through this. She was prepared to break, to fall, and bruise to make it happen.
One of them charged but Emma was faster. She reached him in a heartbeat, snatching his drawn arm before using it to flip him on the ground. He screamed, swore, groaning as he looked up at her with a pained snarl.
"Aren't ya supposed to be a damsel in distress!?"
"I am a damsel," Emma concurred flatly as she reached for her hair tie, her glinting wet hair sliding down from her shoulders as she bent to secure the lower folds of her kimono. "I'm in distress." She huffed, bunching the edges up across her thighs for more mobility and tightening it before straightening back with her eyes looking as sharp and cold as knives. "And I'm gonna kick your asses for ruining our night!"
She knocked him out with a kick before dashing right back to support Draken. They fought side by side, compensating for what the other lacked; Draken for power and Emma for speed, their seamless coordination going beyond mere instinct. It was based on pure trust, faith, love…Powering the delirious harmony of togetherness, numbing the pain and strengthening the will to endure.
It felt like an eternity, the state in which they were locked. Seemingly endless violence, cold winds and ceaseless rain. A harrowing sense of hopelessness began to seep into Emma, sinking into her skin like the water on her limbs. She was growing weary, her body aching in parts where she'd deflected a number of hits. Behind her, Draken was in a condition that was much, much worse. He brawled relentlessly, seemingly unaffected by the blows he sustained but there was a subtle gap between his motions, a heaviness in his lids which grew more and more noticeable.
A harsh cry. Another ambushed hit. Emma rushed to intercept the attack, palm smacking wood but she barely mustered enough force to cushion the blow.
"Ngh!" She gritted her teeth, taking the opponent down with a liver shot while Draken downed two more beside her.
Her opponent fell by Draken's feet and he grabbed him by the hair, lifting him up, glaring at him before tossing him to the side.
"Emma. You okay?" he asked raggedly.
Emma nodded, clenching her hand slowly, keeping the pain from leaking into her voice as she said, "Yeah. How about you?"
"Tired as shit."
They stood back to back, breaths choppy, eyes scanning and narrowing as the group surrounded them, and knowing they were both about to reach their limits.
And yet strangely enough, with Draken's back against hers, Emma had never felt so warm, so secure.
"You should go," she heard him say, a calm, last-ditch appeal for her welfare.
But Emma's answer would never change.
She pushed her sodden hair back, her eyes gleaming with the intent to protect him, more fiercely than ever before.
"Not without you."
At that moment someone had called out to them. They turned towards the familiar voice, eyes immediately finding Mitsuya and Takemichi. Emma's breath hitched in relief. And it was subtle, but she felt Draken sag against her. He began to topple sideways while Mitsuya told Peh-yan off for his betrayal. She caught and held him around the torso, keeping him on his feet as he groaned and touched a hand on his temple.
"Draken-kun! Are you okay!?" Takemichi asked, rushing to join them.
"Ugh…I'm beat," Draken answered, slowly sitting down on the wet ground with Emma's assistance. "Seems like twenty guys are my limit," he said, closing his eyes. "The rest are all yours, Mitsuya."
The silver-lilac-haired teen stepped forward. "Yeah."
Emma made to stand but Draken halted her by the waist, keeping her pressed against him. His eyes slitted open, holding her captive in both his arms and the incriminating darkness of his eyes.
"You're done too," he ordered.
"I-I know," Emma said, trying not to put too much thought on how he was practically embracing her. "I was just going to grab my things. I got something to wipe all this blood with."
Draken reluctantly let her go, his head bobbing down with a long-suffering sigh as Emma ran back to her discarded belongings. She ignored the terrible throbbing in her wrist, hurriedly snatching her things up and groaning when she saw how soaked her bag had become. She turned, tensing as the lot filled with jeers and taunts. Mitsuya might've come to the rescue but they were still overwhelmingly outnumbered, and Takemichi could barely hold his own in a fight.
The scene looked absolutely hopeless. But then came the ever-familiar sound of a distinctive motorcycle engine in full throttle, all of the noise in the lot dying away in tense anticipation.
Emma released a huge, breathless smile, the gloom-hazed world suddenly becoming brighter the moment her brother streaked into the lot.
"Emma," Draken murmured.
She instantly heeded him, lowering on her hunches. "What is it?" she asked, left hand rummaging in her bag for a handkerchief but Draken stopped her when he suddenly held unto her right hand – the injured one – and Emma couldn't suppress the tiny noise of discomfort when he pressed his thumb on it, the pressure light but scalding enough to a tender flesh.
Draken's mouth tensed into a sharp line and Emma snatched her hand back. "T-that—"
"You need to get out of here," he prompted. "Mikey isn't going to be happy once he knows you've fought."
Emma frowned. She stole a glance at her brother, who was in the middle of talking to Peh-yan. "No, but he can't stop me now that I've decided to."
"The situation is different now," Draken remarked, the look in his face leaving no room for discussion. "You've already done enough damage for one night. Don't get into any more trouble."
But Emma wouldn't budge. She decided to ignore him, thinking he'd eventually let her be as she looked for her handkerchief in the bag, which would have been completely saturated but it was better than nothing.
Draken called her name again but it sounded different this time, his voice and its cadence changing a nuance. Emma looked at him and she was struck – mesmerized at the look Draken was giving her, a look she'd never seen him make before.
"Please," he said, his ragged voice very nearly a whisper and the shot hit its mark. For Emma had never heard Draken say that, either. "Just go…I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, Emma…"
Emma bit her lip, heart squeezing as if it'd been smothered by a thousand butterflies.
That wasn't fair. Not fair at all. Draken could've ordered her. He could've told her to back off with his signature severity and Emma would've pushed back – as both of them were aware at how the equilibrium had changed completely between them now – but just like that, with his deep-soft voice and gentle eyes…
How on earth was she supposed to stand up to that?
So Emma obeyed, receding back into the sidelines. Draken watched her go until she was fully out of sight, wearing a warm and gently gratified smile on his face and damn it all, she would've done anything to have him smile at her just like that for a second time.
Emma had hoped Peh-yan would back down and the conflict would finally be resolved now that Mikey was there, but what happened next was complete pandemonium.
She could barely keep up with how fast things escalated – Mikey come to turn the tide, more of Moebius seeking to destroy them, and Toman arriving in the nick of time. The war that should've been long resolved was now happening before her. It should be nothing new and yet Emma couldn't stop from shaking, fearing, dreading the outcome.
For never had she seen anyone capable of stopping her brother's notorious nuclear kick, nor had she witnessed Draken bleeding from the head as he fought. Both were nowhere to be seen and she could only watch and wait once again, clutching her bag to her chest, every anxious breath a prayer for their safety.
Emma stood hidden amidst the trees, closing her eyes to steel against her worries and the pouring cold. She opened them a beat later and a strip of white darted across her vision. It wasn't the grayish shade that Moebius wore but rather the pure and pristine kind, so sudden and vibrant that it momentarily stunned her.
Emma blinked twice, her head turning to follow it. She froze, hands frantically wiping at her eyes to see better. For a second all she could make out was a hazy bright glow outlining the shape of a person. Then it took her another to discover the white haze was actually a dress, worn by someone who was tall and fair—
And wearing a violin case on her back.
Emma gasped, watching with horror as the black-haired girl ran straight into the fray, disappearing quickly like the waxing moon being swallowed up behind a sea of clouds.
"Reiya!?"
Panting and barefoot with her shoes' ankle-straps lopped around one wrist, Reiya skimmed along the edges of chaos, stopping in lingering intervals as she desperately searched for Draken. She caught a glimpse of his patterned jacket earlier but it quickly disappeared in the mass of raucous movement. She chased after it, gunning for the same direction she'd last seen it when two brawling teens stumbled abruptly into her path.
Reiya froze and upon seeing her, both boys paused with the other's fist only centimeter's away from landing the other's face.
"What's a girl doing here!?" the one from Toman said.
"Another crazy bitch!?" yelled the other from Moebius.
Reiya pivoted and ran, causing varied scores of the same sentiments in her wake as she weaved in and out of the plethora of clashing limbs. Every step hurt. Every inhalation chafed. Her shoulder got caught against someone and she'd nearly gotten crashed on by bodies being thrown everywhere but she didn't dare stop, her drive and desperation putting every one of her senses on high alert.
'Draken!' she thought desperately. 'Where are you!?'
She skirted around the brawl trying to widen her range, nearing the only parked vehicle in the vicinity. Reiya hopped over a fallen Moebius member, head swiveling to and fro as she backed away, looking for another way in towards the wider spaces within the clash.
An opening suddenly presented itself and Reiya made to run for it, eyes trained forward when a hand latched around her ankle, pulling her back with a harsh tug. She skidded down with a startled cry, one knee smacking hard on the wet ground. Sucking air through her teeth, she pulled on her foot with her head snapping back, her frightened eyes instantaneously locking on the fallen Moebius member's fiendishly glinting ones.
"Let go!" she cried, kicking her foot out of his grasp but he was too strong, exerting punishing pressure the harder she struggled.
He grunted, leering at her as he pulled himself up on his other arm. "You're with Toman, aren't ya...don't think I'm letting ya off just 'cause you're a girl."
Reiya shuddered as memories of her past life came surging to the surface, memories of the countless times where men would look at her just like that. The mark of his hand sparked sensations of disgust, resentment, crawling all through her like a physical thing.
'I don't have time for this!' In a fit of anger and despair Reiya pulled her other foot back and rammed it straight into his nose. 'Put your hands on a woman and she can put hers on you, too!'
The delinquent released her with a loud yelp. Reiya scrambled to stand, only to freeze up on the spot as the darting figures in white seemed to have multiplied before her very eyes. The air around her suddenly changed, tightening with the brand of a target, making it difficult to breathe as three Moebius thugs loomed near with malice flashing across their miens.
"You one of Toman's chicks?" one of them demanded.
"Hey, don't be scared. Come 'ere, I'll protect you," another one said, smiling as if trying to disarm her but it only made him look deranged.
"Bitch," the one she'd kicked earlier snarled as he hoisted himself off the ground, glaring at her with the promise of retribution. "You're gonna pay for that..."
Reiya stiffened, eyes frantically searching for escape. The ongoing war beyond their backs suddenly seemed so far away, locking her out in her own battle, a battle she had no chances of winning. She inched back as they advanced, one hand creeping behind the case bag for the stun gun.
She refused to run away. Her only chance of changing the future laid within her reach and Reiya was prepared to fight for it, prepared to hurt and be hurt. Holding her breath, she slipped her fingers inside the stun gun's designated pocket, heartbeat roaring in her ears—
"HEY ASSHOLES!"
Reiya started at the booming voice, her eardrums jarring as she looked up just as its owner descended through the thick veil of rain like a thunderclap. He had jumped from the car and he planted both feet into two of Moebius' members in the face, taking both out at once. He stood and Reiya caught the flash of a fang in his bare-toothed grin as he went to face the other two, his ponytail streaking behind him.
Five seconds. He had downed four guys in just five seconds. Reiya immediately whirled into action. He was a Toman member – a strong one. Someone her guts told her to depend on. He turned the moment he noticed her approach and Reiya stopped short the moment she saw how unexpectedly striking he was despite being so young; his features sharp and exotic, his long black hair serving to accentuate his looks. Her eyes went down to his left arm, taking in the golden embroidered words of First Division Captain.
"Are you fuckin' nuts?" he tutted sharply, his gratingly deep voice making her wince. "You can't just waltz into a goddamn fight!" He frowned at her, his golden-brown eyes coasting over the violin case on her back and her flowy white dress. "What, you here to play some kind of background music or somethin'? Get the fuck outta here already!"
He turned on his heel but Reiya anchored him with her next words.
"I'm here for Draken."
He paused, turning sideways, and Reiya went up to him with purposeful strides, squaring her shoulders to show she was not some irrational girl who didn't know what she was doing.
"I'm looking for him. Have you seen him?"
His eyes narrowed. "Why the hell—"
"Please!" she interrupted, desperation making her clutch into the dark material on his arms. "Someone wants to kill him and I need to find him before it's too late! I know it sounds crazy but we don't have the time for a Q and A right now so please, just tell me if you've seen him!"
But the fanged teen merely shrugged her off, looking at her like she was the crazy one. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he questioned, confusion morphing into annoyance the longer he stared at her. "Listen, woman. We eat death threats for breakfast so shit ain't new. That's the kinda world we're living in and we got no time fo—Hey! Where do you think you're going!?"
"I have no time for this either!" Reiya retorted as she ran towards the car. "I'm not leaving until I find him so you might as well save your breath from telling me to leave!"
It was clear he would never cooperate but he did give her an idea on how she could best find Draken. Reiya levered herself up with one foot on the front tire, huffing against the painful throbbing in her knee as she clambered up the car.
"Get down right now!" the fanged teen shouted. "Oi! Shit." He turned away from her, eyeing the dallying group of Moebius members nearby whose eyes were mostly on her. "Great," he growled. "I knew this was gonna happen."
He glanced at Reiya with a frown. "Make it quick," he said before going off on the others with a strut and a rigid flex of his fist. "Where the fuck do you think you're lookin' at, huh!? Eyes on me, motherfuckers!"
He dashed and caught one by sinking his fist in his face, knocking him out. "This is what you're here for, right!?" He looked to the others, throwing his arms wide with a fierce grin. "Come on, you wusses done already!? I'm right here!"
They immediately bit into his provocation, baying and rushing like a pack of baited dogs. With a tight exhale, Reiya tracked her gaze forward, reluctantly relieved he was there to keep them at bay. She had a better vantage point now that she was on top of the car's roof, but looking down beyond the chaos hit her with an unexpected revelation.
There were hundreds of teens in the lot, the numbers nearly dizzying in its widespread havoc.
'Draken...Mikey...where are you?' Her frantic gaze darted all over the scene, her heart sinking with every passing second as she failed to locate them both amongst the brawl. 'Not there. Not there, either...Where—'
Reiya froze mid-crane, her vision sharpening into hyper-focus on one specific individual. She knew him…recognized him as the rough-looking delinquent Kisaki met up with all those weeks ago. He was wearing a Toman uniform but he wasn't trying to fight against Moebius at all. He walked with concentrated purpose, her nerves tightening anxiously as she watched him, eyes flitting instinctively to where he was heading off to when she finally saw Draken.
She cried out in fright, her entire frame trembling at the sight of him fighting with thick streams of blood going down the sides of his shaved head. Reiya hurriedly slid off the roof, jumping off from the hood of the car—
"What do we have here?" said one Moebius delinquent as he stood to block her way. "Did some dumb Toman punk bring their girl along for a little festival date?"
Reiya jolted back, nearly tripping on her own feet as he loomed over her, sneering, just before a beige-colored boot came crashing down into the side of his head. The fanged teen's descending figure cut into her vision next. His golden-brown eyes shot to hers, his flashing while hers went wide in startled gratitude.
"GO!" he barked. "Get outta here!"
Reiya flinched. She fled like a startled doe but something compelled her to look back, watching with her chest heaving in worry as he kept the oncoming swarm from Moebius' attentions away from her.
'Another one,' she realized, remembering Mitsuya and now him. He might've been rough and unbelievably rude but he wasn't so inconsiderate after all.
Sending him quick mental prayers of "be careful" and "good luck", Reiya brought her gaze forward, pushing through where the fight suddenly intensified all around her. She avoided no one this time, shoving everyone off of her path, multiple exclamations of shock and profanities falling on deaf ears as she pinned her eyes on one track. She reached Draken's area in less than a minute with the rough-looking delinquent reaching him first. She slowed her steps, heaving, cautious, wondering what he wanted with Draken until her eyes snatched into his hand—
And in it was a wooden kozuka knife.
Reiya felt her legs running, felt her throat vibrate with a cry but all of it seemed too slow, too late, as what she saw next unraveled with time-stopping clarity.
The gleam of a knife whizzing through the rain…steel tearing into muscle…two gasping breaths and one hysterical smile…
The blade came out with a splatter of blood, followed by an explosive burst of movement as Draken retaliated by plunging his fist against the rough-looking delinquent's chest. The latter staggered back with a harsh cough but he was still smiling, his eyes lit with hysterical light.
"Kiyomasa…" Draken bit out, one trembling palm coming up to put pressure on the wound. "What the fuck did you just do...!"
"This is revenge, Draken…" Kiyomasa answered, expelling a cruel bark of laughter as the blond began to sway into the ground. "You're gonna fucking die!"
"Leave him alone!"
Reiya hurled her shoes at him, one bouncing off the ground while the other hit him with a loud thump! on the shoulder. Kiyomasa's smile froze and Draken's breath hitched in alarm at seeing her stop right in front of him, throwing her arms wide beside her as she stood in between him and Kiyomasa, the flowy sleeves of her white dress billowing briefly like a pair of wings flipping up in defense.
"Yunagi!?" he whisper-yelled.
Reiya shook from head to toe, feeling every frigid raindrop peel at her skin as she watched Draken's blood drip from the blade. He was panting heavily behind her, every anguished breath pounding insistently above the sounds of chaos around them, reminding her that Draken was still breathing.
Still alive.
But the threat was still there, smiling and staring at her with wide, crazed eyes, as sharp and dangerous as the weapon he wielded. He looked even rougher up close, with scars marring his mouth and the bridge of his nose.
Realizations dawned as Reiya stared at him, thoughts and memories connecting like a sparking string of synapses.
"No…Yu…nagi…" Draken rasped, before falling by her heels with an audible splash. A dark red puddle formed underneath him, rapidly stretching to saturate the rain-slicked ground with color.
Reiya spun around with a horrified gasp, dropping on her unscraped knee as she reached for him. She took hold of his shoulders, shaking him lightly with trembling hands but Draken did not move, did not speak.
"N-no…" she whimpered, hot insistent tears filling up her eyes. "Draken…Draken!"
She heard movement behind her. Reiya flinched, screamed. "No more!" She twisted around, arms spreading sideways protectively once again, her gritted mouth trembling but fierce as fear erupted into wrathful conviction, driven by teenage adrenaline and soul-scorching love.
"I'm not letting you hurt him anymore!"
Kiyomasa's dull-ecstatic eyes held hers for one terrifying moment. They travelled around her, latching on Draken, smiling huge with his eyes quivering in triumph. He backed away, eyes remaining fixed on the bleeding blond as if she was of no importance, no consequence; as insignificant as her belated attempts to stop him.
He sank into the battling crowd but Reiya kept her stance, breathing tightly until he was no longer in sight. Her arms collapsed beside her with a fractured sob, her tears mingling with the continuous rain as her eyes wandered back to Draken. Her hands hovered over him, afraid and hesitant as to how else she could help him when she was already too late.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry!" she croaked. "I couldn't stop this from happening after all!"
Reiya clenched her eyes shut, panting with choked sobs before wiping at her cheeks and eyes with a determined swipe of her palms.
'No, it's not over yet…There's still something I can do!'
She slipped a hand around Draken's neck, cold fingers touching cold skin as she hunted for his pulse, heaving a shaky sigh of relief when she found it. It was weak, faint, but there.
"Thank God," Reiya breathed, scrambling to take the case bag off her shoulders.
She carefully rolled Draken on his back, eyes instantaneously honing onto the stab wound. Reiya inhaled and swallowed audibly at the amount of blood steadily leaking out, its thick and frighteningly pungent smell assaulting her nose. She felt like gagging but she stomped it down, fear and desperate hope making her clumsy as she plucked the fat roll of bandages out of the case bag. She shook it loose and lifted his shirt, pressing the thick layer of gauze on the bleeding hole.
'I have to stop the bleeding. Keep the pressure on the wound, keep calm, and everything will be okay. Draken will be okay. He's not going to die, he'll live. He'll live!'
Reiya chanted the same cycle of thoughts until the white bandages became completely drenched in red. Her trembling fingers went rigid, slipping, before pushing again, mind relentlessly chanting he's going to be okay over and over until the utter hopelessness of the situation crashed over her.
The bleeding was slow to stop, she had no means of contacting an ambulance, and she was the only one who knew what happened to Draken despite the lot being completely filled by people.
'I can't do this by myself,' she realized anxiously.
"Someone…" Reiya started shakily, looking around with her eyes blinking rapidly against the onslaught of tears. "Please…someone, anyone…Draken needs help! He—"
"Draken-kun!"
Reiya flinched, looking towards the voice in startled wonder just as Takemichi stumbled out of the battle, his panicked blue eyes locking on to Draken's fallen form. He yelled his name again and all but crashed on his knees before him, his wide-eyed gaze and hovering hands wobbling as they coursed over the blond much like what she did just moments ago, completely overcome with horror and disbelief.
Finally he looked at her, his terror mirroring her own, his rapid exhalations shakier than hers, looking the worse for wear himself with rainwater and tears drenching his cheeks.
"Y-Yunagi-san…D-Draken-kun, he's—!"
"He's still alive," Reiya pressed, decidedly more composed than before. Oddly enough, watching Takemichi in his current state was enough to bolster Reiya into a state of calmness, seeing as someone needed to stay grounded between them.
She touched his shoulder, gripping to shake him out of his despair and to reassure him once more. "Draken is still alive, Takemichi-kun. But we need to get him out of here." She brought her hand down to the bloodied bandages, flattening her palms gently. "I did what I could to stop the bleeding, but it's not—"
"Cherry-chan! Takemitchy!"
Reiya's chest went hot and tight. She turned, wondering where he was. 'Did Mikey hear us? Where…' She found him, finally, but he was currently surrounded by numerous Moebius members with one of them caught in a head-lock underneath his slender arm.
The sight of him gave Reiya bolstering relief but also equal parts dread – for how would Mikey react the moment he'd know about Draken?
"What's wrong!?" he asked, and Takemichi twisted around to answer him, the fretful volume of his voice carrying over to where the short blond stood.
"Draken-kun, he's…He's been stabbed!"
Reiya felt her expression falling apart, her body shaking yet locking in helpless dismay as Mikey's gaze honed sharply to where they were, eyes meeting hers for a millisecond before it darted down beyond her hands on Draken's motionless form.
His obsidian irises shrank, body stilling. In the next moment Mikey moved towards them, shouting "Move!" and "Get outta my way!" as he mowed those who were foolish enough to bar him down.
But then a certain figure emerged from behind him, seizing him by the scruff before flinging him back, disappearing from Reiya's view with startling speed. She lurched forward with a worried cry, eyes darting to find Mikey in the fray but he was lost.
Reiya cut her gaze back to the figure, blood simmering in fury until her eyes latched onto someone dark-haired and freakishly tall—
With a golden strip earring in one ear.
Everything around her exploded into silence. Reiya began to shake so hard it stole her awareness away. Sounds and images from a smothered life were the only things she could make out. She saw one man; the malice and mockery in his voice, in his eyes, his smile. She saw his mutilated body, the blood in his hair, the hole in his head and the carved cherry mark on his chest.
She also felt sensations, their unpleasant brand on her mind and skin; the feel of his blade and the sting of his nails on her flesh, the way he covered her mouth with a heavy hand.
Reiya clutched at her chest and stomach, gasping inaudibly, air escaping her lungs faster than she could take it in.
It couldn't have been anyone else. She would never mistake those tattooed hands, that build—
That laugh.
It was filling her head, drumming against her chest. He was all she could hear, all she could see, all she could feel—
"Cherry-chan! Takemitchy!"
Reiya jumped, light flickering back into her eyes.
Mikey's voice.
And then a splutter, instantaneously taking her back into the present.
Takemichi gasped. "Draken-kun!"
Draken was coughing up blood, the sight and sound piercing her intensely with the remnants of her own experience.
Reiya pursed her lips, pushing the heels of her hands against her wet eyes as she straightened her shoulders, drawing and releasing a heavy steadying breath.
'I mustn't lose my head here. Calm down and we will get through this!'
She stood, eyes combing through the rioting hoard for Mikey's form. "Mikey!" she called. "Leave Draken to us! We'll get him to a hospital!"
He heard her, whirling around to seek her out after he felled a young Hanma with two consecutive strikes, their eyes meeting by happenstance. It was fleeting but enough, his face grim and hers set, the sharp intensity of awareness and unspoken worries connecting them over the distance.
Finally Mikey replied, just before Hanma lunged at him.
"I'm counting on you!"
Reiya nodded once and looked away with heart-clenching effort, unable to watch the younger versions of the man she loved and the man who killed her go neck and neck. Hanma's might was evident but she would believe in him, in Mikey. In his strength and now in his future – a future she'd bleed to secure.
Reiya looked down as Takemichi looked up, their gazes locking in mutual fear and determination.
"I'll carry him on my back," Takemichi stated. "Let's get him out of here, Yunagi-san!"
Together they carefully extracted Draken's unconscious form from the wet cold ground, propping him up into a sitting position. Reiya grabbed the thin roll of compression bandages from the first aid kit and wasted no time in wrapping it around the motionless blond's waist, making sure to keep the bandages in place.
Takemichi almost stumbled the moment they settled Draken on his back. Reiya immediately reached out to steady them, regarding Takemichi with concern as he struggled to sustain his footing with Draken's weight and frame completely overwhelming his own.
"Will you be okay?" she asked.
Takemichi took a step forward, wavering, but the look in his eyes remained set as he puffed, "Yeah…This is nothing!"
Their progress was slow but sure, escaping the discord down to a desolate alley. At one point Reiya asked if she could borrow Takemichi's phone but it had been completely soaked, making the simplest notion of typing impossible, much less call for an ambulance.
"If only I hadn't forgotten mine…" she muttered dourly. She looked ahead, frowning at the distance they still had to cover. 'I should go ahead to find help,' she decided.
Reiya glanced over her shoulder. "Takemi—"
She paused, watching the bleached blond with worried eyes. Takemichi barely seemed to have heard her. His eyes were turning unfocused and the beginnings of a bruise bloomed on his left cheek. He looked as if he was on the verge of passing out but he kept on moving, panting and trembling with every step but doggedly fixed in his path with blind resolution.
"Takemichi-kun?" she called gently, snapping him out of an internal trance. He looked at her and Reiya gave him a gently encouraging smile. "Hang in there. We will get through this."
Takemichi contemplated her for a moment, and then he jerked his chin down as a nod. "Yeah!" He gritted his teeth, huffing as he took another step.
Suddenly Draken coughed, expelling more blood with a violent splutter.
Takemichi flinched. "Draken-kun!?"
Draken's skin had turned deathly pale. Reiya reached for the side of his neck, eyes turning wide in alarm as she felt the faint but rapid thumping of his pulse. His condition was getting worse by the minute, leading to an inevitable shock.
"Draken-kun, you're gonna be alright!" Takemichi suddenly exclaimed, making Reiya jump a little with the upsurge of volume. He trudged forward and Reiya followed closely beside him, feeling her worries getting staved off by his words. "We're bringing you to a hospital right now! I swear…I swear we're gonna save you no matter what!"
Reiya pursed her lips and strode forward, gearing to break into a sprint. "I think I should go ahead after all," she declared, shooting him a glance. "I'm going to run and find help!"
"Takemichi-kun! Rei-chan!"
The two jerked to a stop and Reiya turned, wide-eyed. "Hina-chan? Emma-chan?"
The blonde's hair and outfit were in complete disarray: the floral ornament barely hanging on to her sodden tresses; the lower folds of her kimono gaping widely apart, revealing her legs with every single step.
The other two came running at them, Hina speaking in between breaths to announce, "We called an ambulance!"
Reiya's lungs expanded in relief, only for it to tighten up again at Emma's panicked question.
"Draken! How is he!?"
"Don't worry, he's still alive," Takemichi replied.
Emma's lips wobbled, her eyes already leaking with tears. Hina exchanged tacit looks with Reiya, looks of You're here and Yes, we'll talk later as she strode up to her boyfriend.
The shorter girl gave a small nod her way before touching a gentle hand on the side of Takemichi's head.
"You look like you're about to drop," she stated gently. "I think it's fine if we wait here for the ambulance."
The others agreed and Takemichi slowly hunkered down. They carefully lifted Draken off his back and laid him gently on the ground with Emma's thighs pillowing his head.
"Draken…" she sniffled as she reached for his chest, laying her palm lightly to feel his heartbeat.
"Hina, the ambulance's on its way, right? How long until they get here?" Takemichi asked while Reiya lowered beside Emma.
"Yes, but, it seems they're going to take a while," Hina answered with muted dismay. "The streets are crowded because of the rain and the festival, so…"
"How could this happen…?" Emma muttered brokenly.
Reiya placed a hand on her back and spoke to her, softly and with conviction. "It's going to be okay, Emma-chan…Draken is tough, isn't he? He's going to be all right. He has to be."
Emma lifted her head to look at her, reaching out to clutch unto one flowy sleeve. "Reiya…You gave me a heart attack too, you know." She frowned. "What were you thinking running straight into a slugfest like that?"
Reiya stiffened nervously. 'E-Emma-chan saw me?'
"Um, well…"
Her gaze veered to the right, beyond Emma and Hina and Takemichi, unconsciously latching onto a group clad in black casually approaching from the other end of the lane. Reiya rose, at first curious until she saw just who was leading the group. They were wearing Toman's uniform but they were not friends, nor allies.
Kiyomasa stopped short at seeing them, astonishment and annoyance crossing his face while his lackeys went ahead to taunt them.
"Yo what's this, what's this~? Draken-chan didn't kick the bucket yet!?"
"'Ey what the fuck's Takewimpy doin' here!?"
Kiyomasa clicked his tongue, pinning Takemichi with a look of utter disdain. "What kinda shit are you tryin' to pull, you piece of shit?"
From the way he spoke and the way Takemichi reacted, it was clear there was some sort of history between them – an unpleasant one – and Reiya couldn't blame Takemichi one bit when he took a step back, looking hesitant and afraid.
With a mocking grin, Kiyomasa spoke to his men from over his shoulder. "Hey, somebody get me some more duct tape! I got some stubborn trash to take care of!"
The others laughed uproariously, pushing Reiya's nerves past the breaking point.
"These no good delinquents…" she murmured quietly. She strode forward, ignoring Hina and Emma's urgent calls of her name, her face blank with a stern sort of calmness.
"Leave us alone."
The laughter stilled. Kiyomasa turned his head to look at her, slowly, in a slightly creaking way that implied utmost disbelief. His eyes were unclouded this time, making them all the more intense and frightening.
"Huh." He rolled his shoulders, a contemptuous smile pulling at his scarred mouth. "You again…And who are you supposed to be? You in with Draken or somethin'?"
One of his groupies squawked. "What he's got two chicks!?"
"Aw hell naw!" rejoined another. "Stab him again, Kiyomasa!"
The others started egging him on and Reiya hardened her jaw. She took another step, catching Kiyomasa's eyes and speaking lowly with the intention for him to be the only one to hear it, her eyes hardening with a flash of silver fire.
"You…Kisaki put you up to this, didn't he?"
Confirmation. It was all Reiya saw in Kiyomasa's wide eyes.
He took a threatening step towards her. "Who the fuck—"
"Kiyomasa."
He froze and Reiya looked back, her breath catching in fright and relief. Draken sat up with Emma supporting him, huffing with every pained inhale, his frame shaking but eyes as vivid as the darkest night as he trained them on the rough-looking delinquent.
"Touch her…" he continued with quiet vehemence. "Touch her and Mikey will hunt you down."
A sliver of fear entered Kiyomasa's eyes, his lackeys growing silent as if they, too, were just as affected by the warning. Bleak understanding seemed to have fallen over the Toman members, a collective awareness of what their feared commander was truly capable of, and a hushed number of side-comments rippled all over the group.
"No way...That's Mikey's girl?!"
"Shit, you tell me!"
"I didn't know he liked 'em big…"
Reiya flushed and sharply walked away from them, tamping down on the indignant blush when she saw Draken strain to signal her over with a weak jerk of his head. He shifted some more, Emma murmuring a worried, "Stop moving. You're gonna hurt yourself," but he didn't listen, only grasped one of her shoulders and gently pushed her away.
His bleary gaze meet with Reiya's the moment she went back to them, his message clear amidst the pain: stay back.
"Takemitchy," he called, instantly gaining the bleached blond's attention, his voice shaky and strained. "You've done enough…Now take the girls and get outta here."
Takemichi hesitated, his entire body tensing like it was made of stone. Reiya felt herself do the same.
Draken forced a smile. "I'll be fine…So get moving already."
She clenched her hands, preparing to protest that she would stay, that she wouldn't allow for him to get hurt any further—
Takemichi screamed, unleashing a battle cry so loud and fierce it momentarily shook heaven and earth.
"Takemichi-kun?" Hina wondered.
"God!" he blistered, wiping a fist across his eyes. "I'm fucking pathetic!" He sucked in a breath and barred an arm towards his girlfriend. "Stay back, Hina." He moved for Kiyomasa, his head bent but stride measured and steady, all of them watching in stunned silence.
Takemichi stood before his foe and Kiyomasa glared him down. "What, shitstain? You wanna die too?"
"Why don't you just run away, Trashymichi~? Ain't one of us wanna see you piss your pants, asshole!" the one with the highlighted punch perm sneered, making the others laugh in derisive glee.
"I'm not running away," Takemichi said. He lifted his head with a grin, his gaze sharp and true. "This is my revenge!"
Their battle was reminiscent of David versus Goliath – pure guts facing off against overwhelming strength and treachery. Even so, Reiya, Hina, Emma, and Draken all believed in him.
But Kiyomasa was not above playing dirty, stabbing Takemichi in the hand with the same knife he'd used on Draken. The bleached bond screamed and crumpled in pain. Hina cried and was about to run to him but Emma and Reiya held her back.
"Let go!" she protested tearfully, trying to pull her arm out of Emma's grasp. Reiya hugged her in place, shutting her eyes against the responsive pull in her chest at her best friend's anguish.
"It'll be all right, Hina-chan. Takemichi-kun's still standing, see?"
The shorter girl strained against her, grabbling at her shoulders. "But…!"
"This is his revenge," Reiya reminded firmly. "Let's believe in him."
Hina reluctantly subsided and Reiya released her but kept her close, both of them wincing as Takemichi pulled the blade out of his mutilated flesh. Reiya couldn't help but admire his endurance, awed and horrified as she watched him cast the knife to the ground and charge.
Takemichi was relentless but his attacks were no less potent than those of a fly swatting against a bull. But he did not give up, he did not give in. He fought tooth and nail, going so far as to use his actual teeth, enduring blow after blow until he escaped from Kiyomasa's hold. And then, in one astonishing move, Takemichi had him in a back mount – legs locked around the torso with an arm hooked around the neck.
"I don't care if I'm not like Mikey-kun!" he declared. "I'm Hanagaki Takemichi!"
"LET GO YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Kiyomasa scorched, frantically pulling and punching at Takemichi's arm.
"Don't let go, Takemitchy!" Draken yelled.
"You can do it, Takemichi-kun!" Reiya rooted, Hina clutching at her arm for support, her best friend trembling. 'You can do it!' she thought again, her newfound respect for the boy reinforcing her faith in him.
Takemichi gnashed his teeth to the heavens and roared. Kiyomasa choked, sputtering once before dropping to the ground knee-first, a giant finally overcome. Takemichi fell back, bringing his opponent down with him. He laid there for a while, breathing heavily.
"Did I win?" he wondered before breaking into a huge smile, looking weary but pleased beyond hell. "Finally," he breathed. "I got…my revenge…!"
Hina started for him but he stopped her, pushing Kiyomasa off of him as he sat up. Takemichi defeated his opponent fair and square and yet his victory was not a guarantee for Kiyomasa's group to back off.
"Kiyomasa fuckin' laaammeee," a droopy-eyed delinquent drawled.
The delinquent with the highlighted punch perm came forward, brandishing another wooden kozuka knife in his hands. "You think you're done, dipshit? The party's just gettin' started!"
"We're gonna send you to hell next!"
The pack took a moment to indulge in jeering laughter. Takemichi stood, staggering on his feet until someone steadied him from behind.
"Thank you, Takemichi-kun," Reiya said quietly.
He blinked, watching her in curiosity and alarm. "Yunagi-san?"
She moved to stand in front of him, appearing not to hear his words of "Stop" and "Get back" when the group of Toman insurrectionists steered their collective gazes on her, her expression hard as she leveled them with a stare of her own.
"It's over. Takemichi-kun defeated your leader. You no longer have a reason to stay," she said in a cool and steady voice.
The boys gawked at her before proceeding to laugh once again.
"Get a load of this!" one of them hollered.
The highlighted punch perm shook his head, flashing her a snide smirk. "You really think we're gonna leave just 'cause you told us to? Just who the hell d'ya think you are!?"
Reiya arched a brow. "You heard what Draken said, didn't you? That Mikey, Toman's leader, wouldn't hesitate from hunting you down once he knows you've harmed his friends. So it would be best for you to leave us be."
The delinquent stopped smiling, bitterness flickering in his eyes. He advanced and panicked calls of her name seemed to resound everywhere but Reiya ignored each one. She stood her ground, locking her gaze on her opponent as he approached.
He stopped in front of her, leaning closer and closer, his face completely overcoming her range.
"Oi. Don't get cocky just 'cause you're—"
Reiya whipped her left hand out from behind and drove it right into the side of his neck. A sizzling buzz ripped into the air, wrenching a prolonged shout of agony from highlighted punch perm, his body seizing with rapid flinches.
And then he was out, falling face-first in a puddle by her bare feet, revealing a lit and crackling stun gun held in midair.
Utter silence.
Friends and foes stared at Reiya in unadulterated shock.
"H-holy shit…" one delinquent went. "What'd she do!?"
"She lit Red's ass up!"
"With a Jello Kitty!"
Reiya turned her stun gun on them, effectively shutting them up. Her eyes went over the group, eyeing them one by one.
And when she spoke, her voice was steeped in pure ice, pure steel.
"One hundred thousand volts. That was the voltage in which I shocked him with. Leave, and nobody has to get hurt."
For a tense moment none of the delinquents knew how to react, appearing to reconsider until droopy-eyes protested, "T-that was dirty! You used a weapon on him!"
"Yeah!" fired another. "Don't think the same trick's gonna work on us, bitch!"
"I know," Reiya said, completely unfazed. "I'm weak, so I can only rely on using weapons when dealing with no good delinquents like you. I'm aware I'm going to lose should one of you fight me for real. But even so, to whoever approaches me next…"
She aimed the stun gun higher and amped up the charge, brilliant crackles of electricity spouting out in frightening bursts.
"I'm taking you down with me."
The delinquents unconsciously leaned away, wary at the sight and the biting gleam of glaciers in Reiya's eyes. Before the situation could get out of hand, however, a hand tapped her on the shoulder, Takemichi's voice uncharacteristically quiet and gentle beside her.
"It's alright, Yunagi-san...You don't have to do that. I'll take it from here."
"But you're—"
"It's alright," he repeated, his gaze fixed forward. "Please…It would make Mikey-kun sad if you got hurt."
Stunned at the meaningful implication, Reiya let Takemichi pull her behind him.
"Can I ask you to take Hina and Emma-chan away from here?" he requested over his shoulder, his words heavy on the verge of slurring.
Reiya hesitated. Takemichi may not have been beaten but he was terribly bruised and battered, barely able to keep himself upright.
"Yunagi," she heard Draken call, and she looked back to find him already standing, trudging slowly to join them, clutching at the bandage on his stomach. "Go, we'll figure somethin' out," he murmured, giving her a small smile. "Thanks to you, there's only four of 'em now…"
Reluctantly, Reiya lowered her arm in favor of appealing to him. "But Draken, Mikey left you in our care and I will not abandon his friend—"
"He called you his friend, too," he countered, forcing the words out, sounding pained and yet somehow warm. "That guy…he loves his friends. He'll always take care of them. He won't ever…wanna know they got hurt."
Draken lifted his free hand, the simple gesture appearing to require all of his strength but it was gentle by the time it reached the top of Reiya's head. "Go, Yunagi…We're already in the wringer but you're different...You need to leave...Now."
If it were up to her, Reiya won't ever leave. If it were up to her, she would fight by their side no matter how weak she was. But she was paralyzed against Draken's resolve, overcoming unbearable pain just to reassure her, to keep her safe.
Reiya ducked her head, momentarily closing her eyes in hapless resignation. "I understand…" she said. "I'll go."
Draken's hand fell away and she left, joining Hina and Emma who were waiting for her, the three of them wearing the same looks of repressed concern before taking off.
Emma lingered. Hand on her chest, anguish in her eyes, hesitation jarring her in place. Draken's gaze switched to hers and Reiya saw the way it morphed ever so slightly, so gently, with a message that could only be understood between the two of them.
Emma nodded once and she looked away, overtaking Reiya and Hina, leading the way with newfound resolve.
They ran with Hina looking back one last time, Reiya and Emma steeling against the impulse to do the same.
They couldn't, they wouldn't.
They mustn't, or they would fold.
"The ambulance should be passing right by this street any moment now!" Hina determined as the three of them slipped into another alley, one that wasn't far from the main road.
Pausing, catching their breaths, Emma was the first to turn on Reiya, hands clutching at her shoulders.
"What you just did back there was insane!" she enthused. "You totally electrocuted his ass!"
Reiya couldn't help from smiling in sheepish amusement. "I think I might've overdone it, though...But he'll be fine, I think…?"
'I did make sure not to taze him for more than three seconds, just like what the manual said,' she thought.
"I was surprised too, Rei-chan," Hina added, drawing near. "I never knew you had a stun gun."
"I bought it for insurance," she explained, Emma's hands slipping away from her. "I thought that, since it's highly likely I'd encounter other delinquents and get into situations like this one after meeting Mikey and the others, I might as well get something to protect myself."
Emma hummed in approval while Hina nodded once, looking impressed. "Hm! You did the right thing. But, Rei-chan…" Her eyes shot down, head tilting. "Where are your shoes?"
Reiya blushed lightly in embarrassment, fidgeting her feet and suppressing a wince when she accidentally agitated the chafed patch of skin. "Oh, um, one of the straps snapped on my way here so I took them off."
Emma planted one hand on her hip. She looked worried and then suspicious, regarding the taller girl with knitted brows. "How did that happen? Did you run all the way here? Come to think of it, Reiya…What are you doing there?"
Reiya's body went still beneath their scrutiny. But then Hina's expression shifted, lighting up into one of dawning remembrance.
"I was the one who told her what happened, Emma-chan." She smiled at Reiya. "You said to tell you if something came up, so I let you know right away. I tried calling you but you didn't pick up."
Reiya smiled sheepishly, ignoring the sting of having to lie. "Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm sorry for not answering your calls, Hina-chan."
And for a quick moment Reiya thanked the heavens for leaving her phone on silent-mode. Sorako no doubt would've freaked out if she had been the one to answer Hina's calls instead.
"That's all right. But I didn't think you'd actually come here, you know," Hina pouted. "Now your shoes are ruined, and your dress…"
She trailed away as their eyes trailed down with it, drawn to the startling splotches of red staining the pearly-white skirt of Reiya's dress. It was only at the hem but it was noticeable and unmistakably macabre, painting an alarming scenario to everyone whoever was going to see it.
Reiya lamented it for a moment (for how on earth was she supposed to explain that to her mother?). She shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she insisted. "I had to come here. I was afraid something bad would happen so I rushed all the way here. I thought maybe there was something I could do and I wanted to help in any way I could." Reiya averted her gaze, a flash of Kiyomasa driving the knife in Draken's stomach coming back to haunt her. "I…I actually saw the moment Draken got stabbed…I was there," she murmured guiltily. "I was there…but I couldn't stop it from happening at all..."
"No," Emma said, grabbing her by the wrists. "You already helped a lot. You did what you could to stop the bleeding, and you even helped in dealing with those assholes. You already did so much, Reiya." She paused, her eyes and lips quivering. "You did so much…when I couldn't even do anything..."
Emma sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. "Emma-chan…" Hina murmured softly while Reiya drew Emma in for a hug. The shorter girl sank against her, hiccupping, her tearful voice gaining a wrathful edge as she went on to vent.
"He told me…" she started shakily. "He told me to go because he didn't wanna see me get hurt anymore, but I never should've left his side! If I was there…If I was there…! Kiyomasa never would've gotten the chance to stab him!"
Reiya stroked her back in comforting caresses even as her own throat began to tighten with emotion. Emma's remorse, her fear, her sorrow – she felt all of it as if they were her own. And yet they differed in magnitude, and Reiya couldn't even begin to fathom how painful it must be for Emma to watch her most beloved person suffer like that, with his life literally oozing out of him.
If it had been Mikey, if it had been him who got stabbed, bleeding, on the ground, and it wasn't even a far off possibility—
Reiya screwed her eyes shut.
No. She couldn't even bear to think about it.
"Draken…" Emma whimpered, sniffling repeatedly. "He…he'll be okay, right?"
"Yes," Reiya soothed, attempting to convince her just as much as she was convincing herself. "He'll be fine, Emma-chan…There, there," she cooed. "You've been through a lot tonight, haven't you?" She pulled away, reaching for the floral ornament on the shorter girl's head, readjusting it with undue care and restyling her hair in the process.
Once that was done, Reiya smiled at her handiwork and went around Emma with a pat on her shoulder. "Let's get you fixed up for now, okay, Emma-chan? Let me fix your obi as well. It's barely holding your yukata together." She loosened the sash, estimating how much she'd retighten it. "And how pretty you look in it. You both look stunning tonight."
"If only we weren't soaked like a bunch of homeless chicks," Emma remarked with a sniffle, holding still while Hina smiled and patted at her cheeks with a damp handkerchief.
"How did your yukata become like this, by the way?" Hina inquired, gently mopping at her tears and the excess water on her face with sisterly solicitude.
Still sniffling, Emma narrowed her eyes as she answered with pouty gusto, "Because I beat a bunch of Moebius' butts."
"Oh," Hina and Reiya uttered, eyebrows lifting. They exchanged glances, glances of Emma-chan is awesome and Yes, Emma-chan is awesome.
"They ambushed Draken and they were about to do it again," Emma continued grumpily, "and I couldn't stand it so I snapped and went a little wild back there."
"I see…so that's why his head was bleeding," Reiya murmured after a while. 'So he was ambushed...Did Kisaki plan for that to happen, too?'
Tonight's battle and Draken's fall...Kiyomasa's attempted murder and the appearance of Hanma...
Everything was slowly coming together like a jigsaw puzzle. And all of the pieces led to one man, his pale-blue eyes and gleaming glasses flaring once across her mind.
"Yeah." Emma huffed. "Such a bunch of dirty assholes, right? They had it comin'."
"That sounds scary," Hina said. She smiled a little, reclaiming her handkerchief just as Reiya finished securing Emma's obi along with the layers of her skirt. "But I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly, Emma-chan."
"Same here," Reiya added softly.
Emma gave each girl a sniffly smile, the smile widening as she looked at the black-haired girl. "Oh, right! Didn't you win that midsummer violin competition today? Congratulations, Reiya! And you said you wouldn't win," she teased, giving her an affectionate jab on the hip with her elbow.
"I really was surprised, you know!" Reiya laughed, swaying to avoid another jab only to get poked on the other side by Hina. She gasped and shot her a look of mock-betrayal.
"Even though you went all out tonight," her best friend quipped.
"Hina-chan!"
"Oh, no doubt. Winning a contest and frying people's butts," Emma sang cheekily.
"It was only that one person!" Reiya pointed out, the three of them breaking into giggling snickers at the utter absurdity of it all.
Emma's laughter was the first to die away, her eyes filling up with tears. She hugged herself, looking away as her voice wavered. "Seriously...tonight wasn't supposed to be like this..."
"No...It wasn't," Reiya concurred quietly, casting a solemn glance at the pouring sky and letting the rain glide down her cheeks while Hina hung her head beside her, whispering Takemichi's name before biting her lip to keep it from wobbling.
There was nothing left to be said. They reached for each other's hands, three lovesick women sharing the same fears, the same hopes, the same prayers.
Just then a familiar noise grew louder in the distance and they looked up with silent gasps, hopeful relief brightening the gloom in their rain-streaked faces.
"That's the ambulance!" Hina exclaimed. "It has to be!"
They broke away and ran to the main road, waiting anxiously underneath a streetlight and waving the vehicle down the moment it appeared from the corner.
"This way!" Emma instructed, Reiya and Hina right on her heels, the paramedics running with the stretcher behind them. She could feel herself suffocating, every second of not getting Draken on the way to the hospital to be treated bearing down on her like the blow of a sledgehammer. Nothing else mattered but getting him there. Not even as her own body began to jar and creak with various pangs and pains with every step.
'Hurry…Hurry!'
"Which hospital are you taking him?" she heard Reiya ask, followed by the paramedic's answer.
"That's the nearest one," Reiya murmured, curiously sounding a little troubled.
Emma suddenly couldn't hear her footsteps beside her anymore. It was growing distant, and that's because the black-haired girl was already backtracking towards the opposite direction.
She spared her a bewildered glance, Hina calling back to her in shock. "Rei-chan? Where—"
"Go on ahead!" Reiya shouted, dallying but not stopping. "I'm heading back to the parking lot! I'm going to tell Mikey!"
"Alright!" Emma instantly replied. "Please tell him!" She steered her focus back in front of her, appreciation holding her together like a silver thread.
"Is she going to be okay?" Hina asked, her anxious words barely audible above the heavy patter of their feet and her own rapid breaths. "The fighting…"
"It should be over by now," Emma assumed, eyebrows drawn together. They couldn't have been the only ones who heard the sirens, which was often enough to break up a fight.
Emma found herself begin to smile and she allowed it for a moment, affirming, "Reiya's going to be okay. She's fearless, isn't she?"
Hina looked to her and smiled back. "She sure is!"
'It'll be okay now,' Emma thought. Draken was in sight, supported by Takemichi and his friends. The paramedics were there to help and their tall violinist friend was on her way to get her brother.
They were not out of the woods just yet, but Emma felt less anxious now. Less fatalistic. And as she watched the paramedics load her beloved inside the ambulance with them following closely behind, she held unto the hope that everything would work out for tonight; for Draken, for her, for all of them.
And she had to be fearless to believe it.
Delinquents in black and white alike were dispersing like scattered ants at the continued blare of sirens by the time Reiya reached the lot. She saw Mikey immediately, standing nearby with his back facing her.
She picked up her pace, about to call for him but he wasn't alone. Hanma was still talking to him and Reiya froze right beside the entrance, her hands unconsciously coming up to press against her stomach. She was seeing it again, feeling it again. How he'd killed her and how he was killed.
His words floated towards her with unwanted intensity, that damned snide and drawling voice shaking Reiya at the pit, and it took several dizzying seconds for the words to make any sense.
"…Toman will never know peace ever again."
She blinked, raindrops hanging off her lashes making her do it again a few more times as she grasped at the words and what they meant.
Mikey said nothing and Hanma turned away, mounting a comrade's motorcycle. His companion turned them around, now facing her direction, the motorcycle's headlights hitting her directly on the face.
Reiya's eyes scrunched into tiny slits in reaction while the rest of her tensed in startled stillness. Blinding light and the motorcycle's revving noise whizzed past her, and for some odd unexplainable reason she opened her eyes and turned her head to follow it, as if prompted by some subconscious pull—
Half a second.
That was all it took to send her fate tumbling down into a whole new direction.
For Hanma's eyes caught hers within that meager half of a moment, his sharp copper-colored eyes intensifying with demonic brightness amidst the fading film of light in her vision.
And then he was gone, leaving her knees shaking, about to buckle out from under her—
"Cherry-chan!"
The sound of Mikey's voice was enough to disperse the smothering shroud of darkness about to close in. Reiya faced him, a slight tremor in her lips. There was a prominent frown between Mikey's brows as he prowled towards her, his eyes subjecting her to a swift but thorough inspection, not missing the bright red stains on her dress and the bleeding scratch on her knee.
But that didn't stop her from moving to meet him halfway, her ramshackle legs urging her closer towards her anchor, her lifeline.
Mikey slowed just as he reached her and Reiya meant to stop as well but it was as if her feet had developed a mind of their own, bringing her even closer. It took her a heartbeat to understand she was about to collapse on him but Mikey caught her just before she could even begin to lose her balance.
The warmth in his hands jolted her and Reiya absorbed it for a second, feeding on it, letting it melt through the gripping cold. Her gaze moved over his face, turning wide-eyed at seeing the number of incipient bruises from his bout with Hanma.
"I'm fine," Mikey intoned, softening his expression as he saw the surge of distress in her glossy eyes. "More importantly, how's Ken-chin? Is he okay?" he asked, the tight set in his eyebrows loosening with a sense of dread.
Reiya breathed quick and deep at the question. She clutched at his forearms as if to reassure him, working her next words to measure them out but they came out in an urgent rush. "Draken's okay now. That was the ambulance and they're taking him to the nearest hospital as we speak. You have to—"
"Wait. Slow down." Mikey squeezed at her arms, gently, but it made Reiya wince, simultaneously making her aware how she'd been tripping on her words but she had to let him know that Draken was no longer in danger, she had to.
"It's okay, Cherry-chan," he said, his hands cupping her shivering arms protectively. "Ken-chin's okay?" he asked again.
She nodded, speaking steadily this time, inwardly in awe at how composed he was, seeming more like the adult rather than her in that moment. "Emma-chan and Takemichi-kun are with him. They should be almost there by now, but…" Reiya's voice turned quiet in dismay. "I'm afraid Draken will have to undergo an emergency operation. The stab wound wasn't large, but it might've damaged an organ since he lost a lot of blood…"
Mikey nodded, his gaze angled down, jaw shifting and throat rippling the lightest bit as he absorbed the words. Suddenly his eyes flicked up, holding hers with an obsidian fire in their depths.
"Let's go."
Mikey released his hold on her arms but he grabbed onto her wrist, already taking her with him towards his Babu. Reiya felt reluctant at first but it didn't last as she actively matched her steps with his. She would go anywhere with him if he'd have her.
"Tell me what happened on the way there!" Mikey said across his shoulder.
"Un!"
They got on his bike, Reiya not hesitating even as her stomach began to thump and flutter nervously in remembrance. Mikey didn't even have to tell her to hold on. It was instinctual, familiar and natural.
Only this time, their destination was not a trendy restobar with pretty lights and a sparkling view. Not an escapade but rather an escape through destiny, their path doused in muffling water and streaking colors, underscored by racing hearts and the clutches of an engine at full tilt, leaving echoes of a future long past in their course against time.