Chapter 9
I do not own skip beat! Its own by Yoshiki Nakamura.
Part 3 of Preserve and persevere.
Kyoko crashed into the passenger seat, worn out.
A voice coming from beside her suddenly resonated.
"Are you okay?"
It took Kyoko a second to realize what was the problem and next instant she was half molesting the driver.
"Hey…Ouch…Ouch! Stop it miss!"
Finally she dugged up what she was looking for.
The driver's phone.
"What were you doing?!" Screamed a little the dishevelled driver.
"I apologize profusely mister. But I can't take any risks. So this", Kyoko said holding his phone up in the air, "will have to stay with me until my friends are delivered and out of sight."
The driver's eyes widened and he shrugged though not completely indifferent.
"You will give it back after?"
"Of course."
"Okay then. I don't like it but I can understand your reasons."
Kyoko smiled, pleased.
"Where are we going? "The driver asked after a minute.
Kyoko fluffed her hair in resignation.
"About that…Could you wait a minute? I'm going to seek that out. I don't know the address of the other one."
She looked behind her to the two blissfully sleeping men.
She called Kijima-san.
"Kijima-san where do you live?"
He didn't even stir.
"Your address, Kijima-san where is it?"
Kyoko grumbled with irritation and got out of car. Shen then proceeded to round it and mostly smacked open Kijima-san side.
She searched through his jacket and pockets but when she finally found his wallet, there was no such a thing like a card or an address.
She sighed.
He won't like it but I don't have any other option.
She growled.
Tsuruga-san was so not gonna like it…
She climbed back in the car and gave him an address, more stressed than ever.
When they reached the apartments' complex, Kyoko asked the driver to pull inside the underground parking as it had started pouring rain outside.
That's the moment Kijima-san chose to wake up and he growled loudly.
Kyoko didn't miss a beat and tried to ask the driver to help Kijima-san out to the first floor but after the all blackmail fling, he didn't want to have anything with them anymore and asked her to pay and to just leave.
Tiring out a bit, Kyoko dragged Kijima-san in the lobby instead of fully carrying him out. Not caring anymore if one limb or another bumped into something along the way. She must even have made his head hit the wall on something because he passed out at some point and returned to slumber.
Kyoko shrugged and carried him fully again for a few minutes before dropping him unceremoniously on the ground and pulling him by the feet to the front of Tsuruga-san door.
What a pain…
She went back to the taxi and picked the men's things and dashed with those to the door before returning once more to the car.
Kyoko caught Tsuruga-san underarms and extricated him of the back seat and dropped him out on his butt. He was sleeping again.
She cursed.
The driver recuperated his phone, got paid and flew out of the parking lot under the glare of Kyoko.
-How am I going to bring him to his door?
She was strong but she couldn't drag him completely.
Wait. She set on the principle that she couldn't carry him so of course drag him neither.
Well it's true, I can't drag him…
The only way would be by the feet and it would most possibly hurt him…
And yes I can't carry him…He's too tall…
I just can't have a grip good enough under his armpits if I put an arm under his shoulders…
Too big…too heavy…
But Kyoko had a doubt now.
Did I not explore all solutions…?
Less pondering and more searching. Kyoko was tired so she decided to just look it up on a site.
"How to carry someone?"
She glided through the sites and looked up the frequently asked questions. Finally she found something.
"How to carry someone heavier than you?" Available for everyone.
Use the firefighters'trick skill that they use to carry unconscious or injured people.
The description of it was simple enough and it could even permit to carry much heavier bodies, just not for long depending on your stature and strength.
She was rather muscular and strong for her age but the difference of stature was huge.
Well…I won't lose anything in trying…
"Let's give it a shot."
Kyoko carefully pulled Tsuruga-san unconscious body to an underground pole to put in sitting standing.
It would a bit different than if he was standing up but in her crouched position maybe it could still work.
"So, what does it say already?" She mumbled before checking again.
"Put your right shoulder as close to the torso than you can and put your right foot between their ones. Then pull his arms above your head to your left shoulder so that the head of that person rest on your left shoulder. Hold both arms with your left arm. Circles around his legs with your right arm at knees level. Hold tight the legs and tense your muscles. Deport your strength only on legs and waist, not back and slowly stand up. You can secure the position by bringing the hands of the person to be held by your right one in a way it encircle your front but it's not always possible depending of the bodies involved." She read aloud.
It didn't seem too hard and it helped split the weight of the body you would carry. One part on your shoulder and back. And the legs by your arms.
It would just be a bit more complicated as she would have to entirely take his upper torso on her shoulders before being able to distribute a part on her back as she wouldn't have access to his legs immediately. Him being sitting on it and all.
It's the only way I see…
Even if it's only 300 meters to his flat's door. There was no way she would do or could do the same that she did with Kijima-san. Firstly because Ren was just too long to be piggy-bagged and too heavy to this sort of carry. Secondly she was too worried she could hurt him if she didn't have a good grip on him at one moment.
Kyoko closed up on him, trying to not think of what it did to her poor heart pounding in her chest to feel this closeness. Her right shoulder nearly glued to his chest, she put her right foot between his stretched legs and carefully caught his arms with her owns and very slowly levered him on her shoulders.
She had a hard time doing it at first as Tsuruga-san's head was slipping behind and to the ground but after several attempts, she finally managed to have all his upper torso on her shoulders and secured his head on her left on. Kyoko twisted her left arm until she was able to pull it around both Tsuruga-san's arms and hold them tight at the left side of her front.
She was doing something wrong because it was so heavy Kyoko thought she was going to collapse just from this.
He really isn't a light feather…
"I have to distribute the weight."
Right…
In a so very slow and gentle move, Kyoko slightly shifted the weight to be shared between her shoulders and back.
"Pffffff…So heavy"
Relieved when she finally reached to some equilibrium, she breathed a bit. It was already better.
She circled her right arm around his knees and tightened her hold on his legs.
-Woaw.
Amazing…
It sounds almost easy like that…
Just making her arm take care of his legs' weight alleviated her shoulders and back by a lot. Even crouched as she was still, she could already feel how well-balanced this posture and way to carry was.
Kyoko strengthened her legs and stably but very delicately started to rise to a standing position.
Little by little.
Once inch after another.
Until finally she was standing.
Okay…
"Not that easy…"
She wouldn't be able to make hundreds of kilometres like that. Once upright he was still pretty heavy.
But-
In all fairness…and in this nearly comfortable position…
Maybe two …or three at the upmost…
"Okay…Let's not presume of our strength …"
But still-…she couldn't help it.
Kyoko laughed…Heartily. While trying with her mind to not contort herself while doing so. The great-great Tsuruga Ren is at the very moment carried on my weak weak shoulders.
She twirled around two times. Sort of as a way of proving and showing it.
"Hihihi…hahaha…pfff…"
He was like-
Like-…
"A potatoes'sack. I take back my statement from earlier Tsuruga fairy-san. You are officially a potatoes' sack. Congratulations."
Kyoko started to do some steps while whispering song.
"What a day…What a day…It's a good day to carry a potatoes' sack…"
"What a day-what a day…My sack is sexy human sack…What a day-what a day…My sack is a giant sweet drunk man…What a day-what a day…My potatoes' sack is a fairy man…"
What a day-what a day…My potatoes' sack is coloured like a piece of art…What a day-what a day…Make-up suits my fairy potatoes' sack…"
"What a day-what a day…I have an Emo gothic sack on my back…"
"What a day-what a day…What an heavy potatoes' sack…What a day-what a day…My potatoes' sack is a cute fairy man…"
"What a day-what a day…What an idiot sweet potatoes' sack…"
Unknowingly to Kyoko, Ren would then be haunted by this song for months and months after the incident. Going mad in his efforts to discover the origin of this song which he wouldn't find anywhere.
I should at least be able to have a little fun in this pure madness after all…Kyoko thought with a rightful and proud nod.