Chapter 34:
Lacus flinched when she heard the sound of a door opening. She glanced up quickly but the blindfold obstructed her vision.
There was silence for a moment and whoever it was approached her, his footsteps quiet. Some part of her mind recalled the almost silent footsteps that had approached her from behind in the theatre. Had it been the same person?
The footsteps paused close to her and Lacus felt eyes searching her face. The bastard was watching her. Refraining from the urge to recoil, she chose to keep her head raised up high in defiance. She almost expected the stranger to hit out at her but instead, she felt gentle fingers behind her head. Startled, she jerked her head out of his grasp and swung her bound legs around, ready to strike out. She had thought about it long and hard - with her hands and feet bound, she wouldn't be able to do much damage, but if she could put her entire weight into the blow, a hundred pounds could at least knock the wind out of her attacker. Bracing against the wall behind her, she readied herself to lob her bound feet in an arc, aiming several feet above the ground where she suspected the man's skull was positioned as he crouched down beside her.
But before she could, Lacus felt the loosening of her blindfold and realised, to her surprise, that it was being undone. The black cloth was slipped away from her face and she felt an unfamiliar coolness against her cheeks.
What was happening?
Squinting, she tried to focus on her surroundings and gradually, she could make out the hazy shapes around her. She realised that she was being kept in a small, empty room. No windows. No furniture. Just four grimy walls and a single door. Her escape route.
Then she saw him.
Standing to the side, just out of her reach. So that even if she swung her bound legs around, she would only deliver a glancing blow. He wasn't stupid, she thought to herself as her curious eyes roved over her kidnapper. Admittedly, there wasn't much to see. A black bandana covered the bottom of his face and his hair. The upper portion of his face was hidden by a mask that rested snugly upon his cheeks and his eyes were obscured by the tinted lenses of the mask.
He met her gaze unflinchingly.
"What do you want from me?" She whispered. Her voice was hoarse and cracked from disuse and she wondered just how long she had been captive. Long enough for Cagalli to be found? Long enough for Athrun to be on the case?
The man didn't reply. He crouched down so that they were level, his eyes fixed on her. The movement of his right hand caught her attention and her eyes flittered downwards. He was stretching to one side, his movements slow and steady, as if he knew any sudden gesture would frighten her. Lacus followed his movements with apprehension and realized that he was reaching for a pack of sandwiches placed at the edge of the grimy wall. She hadn't noticed it there before.
She watched cautiously as he picked up the food. His eyes remained fixed on her as he unwrapped the Clingfilm and held out a sandwich to her.
Lacus didn't think twice. With all her strength, she swung her bound legs at her kidnapper, aiming for his head. For a second, she thought she had got him. Her bound ankles arched through the air, inches away from the man's left cheek. Surely, the blow would be enough to catch him off guard and knock him to the side. Then she was going to grind her elbow into the bastard's throat and choke him. But things rarely go according to plans. Lacus felt her shins connect against something hard, but alas, it wasn't the man's skull. He had thrown his arms up to block her attack and when her legs collided against his forearms, a strong hand seized her bound ankles in a vice-like grip.
The momentum caused her to lose her balance and with her legs several feet above ground and her ankles trapped in his grasp, Lacus found herself sliding against the grimy wall behind her and she landed heavily on her side. With the wind knocked out of her, she lay dazed on the dusty floor for several seconds.
"Done?"
Lacus glanced up when she heard the voice and nearly stopped breathing. The stranger was on top of her, balancing himself on his forearms so that he didn't crush her with his weight but giving her so little room as to pin her in position. His masked face was pressed so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheeks. She stared at the eyes hidden behind the tinted lenses and couldn't help shivering as he glanced down at her with those intense, watchful eyes. She had psyched herself up for the confrontation but all the bravado and courage dissipated as she found herself trapped underneath the stranger's body.
She did the only thing she could and screamed.
"Are you done attacking me?" Her kidnapper responded mildly. The calm voice sliced through her hysterics like a knife through water. All of a sudden, Lacus felt as if her voice had fled her throat. She felt the urge to scream again, for god knew what reason, but she couldn't and she ended up gasping for breath, drawing air into lungs that felt laden with lead.
"If you're done, I'm going to let you up," he said. His voice was gentle and concerned. The black cloth covering his face quivered as he spoke. "And I'll appreciate it if you keep your violent tendencies under control, at least for now, okay?"
Lacus stared at him through wide eyes. She felt as if she couldn't breathe and her heart was thumping almost painfully against her chest. Taking a shuddering breath, she nodded and the man eased off slowly. His eyes were scrutinizing her from behind the mask. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders, he drew her into a sitting position. As soon as he released her, she scooted backwards until her back was against the wall. "What do you want from me?" She rasped out.
The man sat back on his haunches to look at her. He picked up the food that had been flung aside in their scuffle. One of the sandwiches had been tossed onto the mucky floor but the other was still trapped in the Clingfilm. Again, he unwrapped it and raised it to her lips with an encouraging nod. Lacus hesitated, eyeing him warily. Wasn't he worried that she would kick out at him again? Why would he offer her food in the first place? What the hell was going on?
He looked at her for a long moment and when she didn't open her mouth, he pulled back and with a hand lifted the edge of the black bandana to expose the corner of his lips. He took a bite, chewed purposefully, swallowed and opened his mouth to show her that he had indeed eaten the sandwich. Then he tilted the bitten sandwich at her and nodded again.
She understood his message – no poison – and she hesitated only for a second more before attacking the sandwich ravenously. It felt as if she hadn't eaten in a long time but she wasn't about to dwell on how long she had been held captive. She needed the food, the energy, if she wanted to escape.
He fed her patiently, holding the sandwichs to her mouth and she devoured each one voraciously. A part of her mind warned her that the rest could have been drugged or poisoned even though the first hadn't but as soon as the first taste of food touched the tip of her tongue, she couldn't seem to stop, not until she was full and could eat no more.
And when she was done, the stranger slipped a hand into his pocket. Lacus flinched but all he removed was a small bottle that he raised to her eye level so that she could see the label. Aspirin.
She glanced up at him questioningly. Tapping a finger to his brow, he nodded at her. Lacus hesitated, what in the world…? When he tapped a finger to his brow again, she decided to take a gamble and nodded tentatively.
The man returned her nod with an understanding tip of the head and uncapped the bottle, emptying two pills into his palm.
"What do you want from me?" Lacus tried again, but still she received no reply.
He gestured at her mouth. This time, she parted her lips willingly and he placed the pills lightly on her tongue. She drank from a bottle of water that he held to her lips after proving it was harmless by drinking a mouthful himself.
She was taken aback when he unzipped his jacket and covered her with it, tucking it gently under her chin as if she was a young child.
Her hunger and basic needs now satisfied, Lacus took to watching him - this silent stranger, who tended to her patiently and kindly. Why would he treat his victim with such compassion?
He knew she was watching him and he met her eyes bravely but the mask obscured his and she longed to see his eyes. Or rather, she longed to see what emotions lay in them. Would she see the cruelty and malice of a murderer, or would she see tenderness that matched his gentle demeanour?
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that he surprised her when he stood up, turned on his heel and walked towards the door without a word.
"Wait," she called out before she could stop herself. The stranger glanced over his shoulder at her.
Astounded by her own actions, she bit her lower lip. What in the world was she planning to say to him? What the hell do you say to your kidnapper?
He was still looking at her expectantly and she licked her lips. "T-Thank you," she whispered, "for the food, the aspirin and the jacket."
The stranger nodded once and opened the door. It was pitch dark outside and she couldn't see anything beyond the exit.
Throughout his careful ministration, he hadn't spoken a single word, so she was surprised when she heard him speak. "You're safe here. I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was smooth and cultured. Quiet, calm and reassuring. "I need something from your father and when I get it, I'll let you go. That's a promise." He stood in the doorway for a moment and looked at her.
Despite the circumstances, Lacus felt herself being drawn to him, as if she could really put her trust in him, as if he would protect her from harm. And long after the door had closed and he was out of sight, her heart was still beating hard and fast.
Author's note: Hello! Here's the long-awaited meeting between Lacus and Kira. What do you think about this chapter? Personally, I'm not so sure… I think it's a little strange, especially close to the end. But… oh well… let me know what you think! Review x3!