Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 30

(Y/n)'s POV

An eruption of laughter bubbled up from my throat, escaping into the peaceful quiet. The sun's rays warmed our surroundings, where it lay its gentle touch to caress the atmosphere. It was a calm afternoon, and Reki had somehow managed to convince Yuu to try skateboarding.

"This isn't funny. Stop laughing!" Yuu demanded.
"Nothing's ever gonna erase this from my memory."
"Tch, I'd like to see you try doing tricks on a bike."
"Fine then, little brother. I guess I'll just have to show you how amazing I am."

Yuu rolled his eyes at my statement, which only incited light giggles from me. My eyes met Langa's, whose cheeks immediately deepened a dark red once realising I had noticed his lingering gaze.

I cocked a casual smile, hiding my thundering heart beneath a veil of nonchalance. Falling in love with him would only make things complicated. He didn't need a girl like me. He shouldn't deserve someone like me. He needed someone better.

A darkness hid deep within my heart, a murderous monster. If he found out, he'd leave. A frown marred my face as I pondered my thoughts. I didn't want him to leave but the concealment of my sins didn't turn me into someone free of guilt...

"(Y/n)..." Langa said softly.

His hand was on my arm, his eyes a mixture of concern and worry. The smile on my face deepened until it became real, dispelling his anxiety. He still, however, hadn't let go, instead moving his hand down to intertwine his fingers with mine.

I felt safe, like his innocence had driven away the thoughts overtaking my mind. My eyes moved to surreptitiously stare at his face as he led us towards Reki and Yuu, who had gotten a little ahead.

Perhaps holding onto him a little longer was acceptable. Perhaps this was acceptable. Reki suddenly waved at us. Langa nodded at me before letting go of my hand. We both hopped on our skateboards and raced each other to our friend.

I executed a quick railslide and rode to the ramp, flipping in the air a few times. I landed without a hitch, skidding to a stop beside Yuu. Langa had copied my exact moves, managing to perform the flips albeit its slightly amateurish execution.

"Man, you must've been a genius in your past life," commented Reki.
"A genius?" questioned Langa.
"*sigh* A genius who's unaware of his talent."
"I'm assuming you have a good reason for calling me out here?" Cherry asked as he walked towards us.
"Took you long enough, grandpa," Yuu exclaimed.
"Unlike some ungrateful kids, I have a job that I can't just quit."
"You guys can continue with your bickering later. Cherry, I need your help. You've probably heard from Joe but Langa's gonna go against Kyle and his skating's insane," I explained.
"(Y/n), I would've thought you could help him by yourself."
"I have been...but it's not enough. Even now, I still can't reach my brother's level. You would know better than me."
"Your uncle trained you. I think that's-"
"Alright, let's just start," said Reki.

I moved aside to allow Cherry to skate towards the ramp. With a stretch of my arms, I plopped myself down under the shade of a tree before gesturing for Reki to come sit. Yuu had decided to watch from the top of the ramp.

Reki's hand was in mine within seconds. It was different with him. Langa's touch was like an icy fire, igniting cool flames across my skin. Reki's was like the wind and earth, a subtle support and an everlasting warmth.

I stared at the calluses on his hand, touching each one if only to distract myself. He closed his fingers around mine, turning to flash a reassuring grin.

"You know, you shouldn't feel bad about this," he exclaimed.
"About what?"
"About Langa. If anything, he's excited to go against Kyle."
"Yeah..."
"I'll always be here. Everything'll be fine."
"*smiles* Yeah, you're right."

A glint of metal caught the light. My feet were already running towards Cherry as I hurriedly yelled at him to duck. Without wasting another second, I kicked the knife away before it could do any damage.

Five men dressed in black approached us. My sleeve rustled, with Langa pulling gently as if wanting me to run away from the danger. A smirk graced my face before I reassuringly pried off his grip.

One man came charging first. I avoided his fist and counterattacked with a hard punch to his temple. A second man came running. With a quick turn, his kick reached thin air, but I was already spinning to grab his collar, putting an arm around his neck.

He became unconscious before I narrowly avoided the third man's punch. I jumped back, waiting calmly for him to make a second move. He took out a knife before I heard Langa worriedly calling my name.

"Calm down, she's got this," said Cherry.

The man charged in, making me move to the left to avoid the blade. I grabbed his wrist, twisting to loosen his grip. Either whoever commanded them had asked them to go easy on me or they weren't good to begin with.

He pulled out a second knife, slashing at my cheek and then my arm. Hot blood trickled down my skin, igniting more adrenaline to pump through my veins. I had stolen his other blade, twirling it around my fingers like a toy.

As soon as he came running, I jumped and flipped over his body, using the knife to slash the area behind his knees. He immediately yelled and cursed, unable to stand stably.

Another man suddenly punched my jaw, leaving me stumbling a few steps. I had almost no time to block his second hit, using my arm as a shield. A girl stepped out from behind an ancient tree. Was she the person they took orders from? Why...did she look exactly like Ruka?

Another hit came to my arm as I remained distracted by the Ruka lookalike. Cursing under my breath, I ran towards her, flipping over the fifth man charging at me. I had the girl within my grasp, a knife pressed against her neck.

"Stop or she dies."