DARK RED [ITADORI Y.]

―XXXII. 15 SECONDS

CHAPTER XXXII. 15 SECONDS

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As our first deal had insured, I gave Eris one minute of control. 10 seconds of that was used to remove my shredded shirt and to walk over Kazuhiro's body. Another 10 seconds was used to leave the room and go into the hallway. She walked down the hall for 10 seconds. She used 15 seconds to open a metal door, pulling it off the hinges and letting it slam to the ground. She walked into the room.

I could see Yuuji. He was bound with chains and seals. It was the only reason I could think that he hadn't broken them yet. I could see a little bit of concrete had been chipped from the wall, and his hands looked bloody. I pieced two and two together as Eris walked towards him.

The final fifteen seconds were used to take the seals and bindings from Yuuji. She knelt down in front of him and retreated back into the depths of my mind. She didn't say anything after that.

"Y-Y-Y/n!" Yuuji's arms wrapped around me as he pulled me against his chest, holding me there tightly. I left myself relax in his arms, my hand instinctively sliding into his hair.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, never removing himself from me.

"I killed him," My voice was raspy, and it kind of hurt to talk.

I felt his hand on my back, pulling me closer to him. His voice seemed to darken a little when he spoke. "Good."

"I-I want to leave," I whimpered.

"I've got you," He said, standing up and bringing me with him. "I've got you, I promise."

He was slightly surprised when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself up into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I laid my head on his shoulder.

I didn't know why, but I'd suddenly become attached to him. The thought of Yuuji just walking away from me was enough to make me slightly panic. I gripped the back of his shirt tightly, pulling him closer until I was practically sitting in his lap. I was too scared to be anywhere else at this point. I didn't want to be anywhere else. This was the only place I felt safe enough to be.

I hadn't realized that I'd started to cry until Yuuji was rocking me back and forth, hushing me softly. He whispered words of comfort to me, and his voice alone was calming me down. In the distance, I could hear the screeching of tires and loud voices shouting out names.

By the time we were found, lights were shining in our faces. Blurred faces rushed into the room. Yuuji stood up with me in his arms. The voices and shouts were muffled. The only thing I could hear was Yuuji's heartbeat. It's all I wanted to hear.

I felt his hand on the side of my face. He turned my head into his neck, blocking out all of the bright flashlights and faces that were crowding my vision. He kept his hand there, the other wrapped around my waist.

"I'm going with her," He yelled, though to me it was muffled. "She's not leaving my sight."

I felt my back press against something soft. I continued to cling to Yuuji's shirt, my eyes closed tightly when I felt straps coming around my chest, waist, and arms. His thumb stroked my cheek. There was a jolt, then two slams.

"It's okay," I heard him whisper, making me crack my eyes open to look at him.

He smiled kindly, yet tiredly at me. I could tell he was just as exhausted as I was. He leaned forward and laid his forehead on mine, distracting me from the sharp pinch I felt in my arm. I felt myself muttering something, but I didn't know what.

"I'm not going to leave," Yuuji said, stroking my hair. "I'm staying with you, Y/n."

I looked at him with bleary eyes. It was getting harder to keep them open. I only realized that I was being injected with anesthesia when I felt like I was floating. I tried to fight the feeling, moving my fingers and legs, trying to keep myself awake. But it didn't work.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Yuuji whispered. "I promise to never let anything hurt you again."

And I don't remember anything after that.

...

A day and a half.

That's how long it took for me to lose my mind. For me to kill someone. Yuuji and I were only missing for a day and a half. I didn't understand how. It felt like it was so much longer. It should have been so much longer. So much shit happened. Why did it feel like months?

By the time I had woken up and was taken from recovery into an actual room, it was pretty late at night. The nurse brought me a popsicle and a glass of water and told me to press the little red button on the remote if I needed anything else. She said she would be back in two hours with pain medication and to change my IV.

"Oh, and I have this," She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cellphone. "Your teacher dropped it off for you. Told me to give it to you when you woke up."

"Thanks," I said, taking the device from her. She smiled as she left, pulling the door shut behind after.

I unlocked the screen, looking down at the notifications crowding my bar. I swiped down, reading my mother's contact first. I clicked on the voicemail she left.

"Hey, honey! Just wanted to let you know if you need us to call the number I left in the kitchen. Your father took a business trip out, and I decided to join him out there with your siblings. I tried to get you to come, but your school said you were too busy. I really wanted you to come. But that's okay, we can always plan another trip together. I won't be able to get in contact unless you call the hotel's number! We're pretty far out in the mountains! Anyway, I hope you're having fun in school. Call me later! Love you, sweet girl."

I sighed, my shoulders dropping along with my heart. I placed my phone in my lap and bit into my popsicle. I stared up at the ceiling.

Two hours later, the nurse returned to do as she said. When I asked her the time, she glanced down at her watch.

"It's 2:38 A.M," She said. "You should probably try and get a little more sleep."

"Can I ask you about someone?" I sat up. "Itadori Yuuji. He was with me. Is he okay?"

"We had to sedate him to get him away from you," She replied, remembering him off the top of her head. "He threw a fit when the paramedics brought you in and we kept him back. He's fine now. His injuries weren't as major as your's. I'm sure he'll be in here first thing in the morning."

I smiled softly. "I don't doubt it."

"And one more thing," She said, her voice turning gentle. "We found bruises on your thighs and hips. Due to standard regulation, we need to do...a rape kit."

"I wasn't raped," I swallowed hard. "He...didn't get the chance."

"I'm sorry to have brought it up, but it's just standard procedure," She frowned a little. "If you don't want to, we don't have to. Even if it was just a little—"

"It didn't happen," I said, making her nod.

"I'm terribly sorry. I hope you recover quickly, and you can leave this all behind."

I watched her leave the room. Once she was gone, I sighed, letting my head fall back against the pillow. I closed my eyes.

"Me too."

[Chapter XXXII. End]
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