Inhale

chapter.2

I wiped my eyes, not wanting to have any teachers seeing me cry. It would only make this more troublesome. I kept walking down the stairs, tripping as I reached the bottom. I let out a sigh, sitting on the floor as I stared at my hands that rested on my lap. I let out another shaky breath as I forced a smile. I'm happy. I helped someone find some form of happiness, so of course I feel happy. More tears began leaving my eyes, I felt my face begin to heat up, along with my head beginning to ache. Stop it, stop, stop, stop, stop it...Stop crying. You're such a terrible person, (Y/N). You can't stop thinking about yourself. You're so selfish. You're disgusting...
        I rubbed my eyes again with my sleeves, strands of my hair began sticking to my wet face as I moved them back. I steadied my breathing a bit before standing up again, my ankle having a dull pain on it as I put some weight on it. I continued walking to the entrance, limping a bit when I picked up my pace. I had made it to my locker, changing my shoes as I fixed my coat. I still had to walk all the way home, so I might end up taking a while longer to get back. I pushed open the double doors, the cold air hitting my raw face, causing it scrunch up at the stinging sensation. I noticed how it had begun to snow, it was the first week of Winter and there was no sight of it so far, other than the cold temperatures.
        I continued walking towards the gate, my walking becoming a bit staggered. The headache didn't help either, making me cringe at the pain. I began to turn the corner of the gate, tripping as my face was then buried in the chest of a stranger. I back away, immediately apologizing for my clumsiness.
        "(L/N) (Y/N)?" I looked up as I heard the deep voice from above me as I saw a familiar face. My eyes met those of the police officer from this morning. I don't understand, how does he know my name? He looked at me worryingly, his eyes softening as he looked into mine. I quickly looked down to my feet, realizing that I must still look like a mess from crying. I stayed quiet, the cold intensifying as I stood there with him. I felt my eyes widen as I felt some warmth around me, it made me somewhat uneasy. My vision was filled with grey, that being the only thing I could see. "You were in such a hurry when you left, you forgot it on your chair." I raised my hand up to my face, pulling down my scarf a bit so I could see better. "I had a meeting earlier today, sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner." He gave me a smile. "I was waiting here for a while, but I didn't think you would take so long." His eyes still held a look of concern. "Even the students in clubs have already left, were you left to finish cleaning up?" I let out another shaky breath before speaking.
        "How did you know my name?" I looked down. "How did you even find me?" I didn't understand, how did he do this? Why is he waiting outside the school for me?
        "Chief Inspector, Sasaki, Inspector, Kuki reporting." The officer turned around, nodding to the raven haired male. His face was grim as he spoke, he was obviously irritated. "The perimeters have been secured, sir." He nodded once more.
        "We have permission to enter the building once all the students have cleared out, I am awaiting confirmation from the staff. Please relay this to the others and wait for further instructions." The younger male nodded, seeming hesitant as he left. I looked at him suspiciously, not understanding what was going on.
        "Why is the police entering the school at this time?" He turned back to me, another smile on his lips.
        "We always do this before the school locks up, it's part of our job." He glanced at the school. "This was the closest school by the coffee shop, so I assumed you'd be here." He looked at me once more. "And the waitress told me your name." His voice was smooth as he spoke, his head tilting a bit to the side. "I noticed that you seem to have a bit trouble with walking, and seeing as you've already walked this far, I don't know exactly how much farther you have to go." His eyes were then directed to the sky. "It's getting late too." He placed a hand onto my shoulder, another smile being offered. "I'll give you a ride, alright." He walked me over to his car, looking over to the blue haired female that leaned against it as she ate some chips. "Yonabayashi, I'm borrowing the car for a bit, keep watch on the gate." She nodded, trudging over to the gates as she waved goodbye.
        "See ya, Maman!" He opened the door on the passenger's side for me, another smile on his face. I went in, putting on my seat belt as I watched him walk over to the driver's side before getting behind the steering wheel. He grabbed the walkie-talkie from the radio, pressing the button on the side before speaking into it.
        "This is Chief Inspector, Sasaki, I'm driving a student home. I have officer Yonabayashi covering for me at the main entrance of the school. Over." He waited a few seconds until he got a response.
        "Copy that, Chief. Over." He then turned on the vehicle, looking over to me.
        "Can you give me your address?" I nodded, telling him my address as I saw his eyes widen. "Don't tell me you walk these kind of distances everyday, your parents give you a ride most of the time, right?" I shook my head. He sighed as he began driving. "If you're usually heading home around this time, you're really lucky nothings happened to you." He glanced at me for a second. "Nothings happened, right?" His voice sounded more serious, his eyes narrowing as he kept his eyes locked on the road.

        "I've been fine." I looked out the window, watching as the snow continued falling. It was almost serene if it weren't for the churning feeling I had in my stomach just by being with this man. The ride was silent, I glanced at him from time to time, seeing him acting nervous. His eyes flickered from the road, to the radio every few seconds. I still find it strange that this man is going out of his way to assist me, even if he is a police officer, he doesn't act right. He's strange.

        "Where's your house?" I was snapped out of my daze as I saw him tilt his head to the side as he looked at me. He wore a smile as he tapped my forehead to get my attention, it seems that I was so deep in thought that I ended up staring at him. I looked away, dismissing his actions as I looked out the window.
        "It's the fourth to the right." He remained unfazed, his face only softening.
        "I guess you're still just a regular teenager, that's good." I glanced at him, not quite understanding what he meant by that. Was he calling me childish? "You still act innocent, it's nice." He began driving a bit slower. "I thought you seemed a bit cold-hearted, but you're just a bit distant." I didn't understand, what did he mean? Was that pity? Apathy maybe? I disregarded those thoughts for the meantime, I didn't want to end up staring at him again.
        I felt the car come to a stop, I kept staring at my lap as he parked the car. "Here we are." I turned to him, as I was going to thank him, he had already gotten out of the car. I watched him walk over to the passenger's side, opening the door and holding out his hand for me. "Your ankle still hurts, right?" He let out a chortle, his smile remained, only seeming somewhat more luminous with the snow falling. "I'll walk you to your door." I hesitated, I didn't see a reason to do this. It seemed he noticed my hesitation. "I don't mind doing this, it's not just because I'm an officer, I want to make sure you're alright." I don't get it. He then turned around, his broad back now facing me as he lowered himself a bit. I hesitated once more before reaching out to him, feeling his warmth. I wasn't familiar with this feeling, it was strange yet appealing. I felt him lift me up, the distance between me and the ground was vastly increased as I was now looking at the world from a higher place. I admit, his tall stature intimidated me, yet it still made me feel somewhat secure. I felt... safe. I wrapped my arms around his neck instinctively my heartbeat racing as I pulled him closer, fearing I may fall. I heard him let out a deep chuckle, turning around a bit to close the door as he glanced at me. I found it amazing how strong he was, seeing as I wasn't the thinnest person you'd meet. He kept his eyes locked on me, his grey eyes not leaving my form. He seemed lost in thought. I then shifted my gaze back down, beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable having him staring and the cold air only intensifying as we stood here.
        I felt him begin to move, his long and slow steps were calming. Even though the snow continued falling, and the wind kept blowing, I didn't feel cold at all. He was all the warmth I needed. I felt so calm as I was carried by him, I felt my eye lids become a bit heavy. I buried my face into the nape of his neck, his soft hair tickling my cheeks in the process. As I breathed in, my nostrils were filled with his scent, it only made me hold him even closer. There was then an otherworldly gust of wind blowing as I heard the loud sound of leaves rustling above us. It was almost like we were surrounded by dozens of trees. It felt like an eternity just walking to my front door. I think it's strange that I'm already being lulled to sleep just by holding this man in my arms.
        I felt the vibrations of his deep laugh as he arrived to the door. Using his one free hand, he rung the doorbell, seeing my mother answering the door immediately. Her eyes widened as she saw me being carried on the back of some strange man. I heard my dog's relentless barking as he ran to the door. The man took out his badge as he wore a smile. "I'm Chief Inspector Sasaki. While on patrol I noticed that (L/N)-San was on her way home from school on foot. I found it very unsettling to see a young girl at her age walking at this hour and in these temperatures. I also noticed that she had injured her ankle, so I decided to escort her home. My mother nodded, a look of worry visible on her face.

        "I'm sorry for the trouble." He shook his head, smiling as he spoke.

        "Where should I place her?" My mother directed him to my room. I felt him move again, his long steps making the wooden floorboards creak with each one he took. I saw the lights of my room flicker on, the officer walking in and placing me on my bed. I reluctantly let go, feeling upset at the loss of warmth. "Hey there, sleepyhead." I simply stared at him, not bothering to reply. He knew I wouldn't bother speaking, so he decided to place his large hand on my head, tussling my hair a bit as he chuckled at my annoyed expression. "Be careful next time." I watched him leave my room, closing my door as he went back to his car. I still find it hard to believe that he went to such lengths for me, even if it was part of his job. Either way, I was still grateful that he saved me the trouble of having to walk all the way back. I couldn't stop the unsettling vibe I keep getting from him, he just didn't seem right. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all, it didn't make sense. Just who exactly are you, Sasaki?