Rogue

Chapter 5

The days had come quicker than Akira was expecting, especially since there were no windows to indicate the time of day. She rolled out of bed with her blonde locks in disarray. A yawn escaped her lips as she rubbed her eyes.

The blonde changed into the clothing that she and Izumi had gone to purchase the other day and then began examining the room she was assigned. She hadn't yet gotten accustomed to it, but it was better now than later since she'd be living here from now on.

Meanwhile, a certain blonde boy sat bored in class with his cheek planted in his palm as he stared out the window. Yoneya had long given up on trying to annoy him since he had been ignoring him since the school day had started. It wasn't intentional. He was just stuck in his head. The events of the last few days were still swimming in his brain. From his date with Akira, to the meeting, and then to their argument... It was all too much to comprehend.

It was lunch when Izumi's phone started ringing. Tachikawa, his Captain, was calling which was odd considering he knew that the younger boy was in school at this time.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Izumi," the older man began. "How's school?"

"What do you need, Tachikawa-san?" The blonde leaned his back against the wall outside his classroom where a few students walked by. His Captain sighed on the other end.

"She still hasn't left her room." Izumi felt his heart drop. It had been almost three days since the meeting had come to its conclusion and Tachikawa squad had been taking shifts standing guard at Akira's bedroom door. However, there had been no signs of life from her the past few days and she rejected every meal they'd tried to offer her. This predicament was beginning to take a toll on the boys.

"She still hasn't eaten?" The older man shook his head, knowing well that his teammate couldn't see it.

"Listen, Izumi. I think it would be best if you made up with her―"

"Why?" Students spun their heads to look at the blonde, startled by his outburst. "You heard what she said," he lowered his voice. "Why should I care about someone like that?"

"Because you do." Izumi swallowed thickly and rubbed at his face. "I can tell. But that's not what's important. What's important is that we get her back on our side. If she's cooperative with us, it'll make it much easier to get the Black Trigger from her."

Izumi knew that this plan was wrong. He knew that something like this was bound to have some serious consequences. Especially if Akira was as strong as Jin claimed.

"I'll handle it."

兵

Akira slowly lifted her torso from her comforter at the sound of a knock at her door. She had been ignoring the boys' attempts to get her out for the past couple of days but she was beginning to grow sluggish. Amongst her travels, the blonde had become accustomed to going a few days without food. Of course, that was no way to live. But she did what she had to in order to survive, even if it meant going hungry.

The continuous rapping at the door drew her out of her daze and began to echo in her brain. The girl scowled and threw her blankets to the floor, stomping toward the metal barrier and throwing it open only to have a paper bag shoved in her face.

Her pale hand pushed it aside to find Izumi in his squad uniform with his eyes locked down the hallway.

"What do you want?" Izumi groaned at the hostility of her voice and shifted his eyes to glare at her.

"You need to eat," he said sternly. The boy then shoved the bag back in her direction but she continued to dodge it.

"You don't know what I nee―" Her stomach growled at the worst time making the male huff in satisfaction. She glared at him with a blush growing on her face. He gave her a small smirk as her eyes traveled back and forth between him and the bag in his hands.

"They're croquettes~" A silence settled between them as Akira contemplated her next move. She was starving but she didn't want to accept this from him. She would've been better off accepting the cafeteria food that Yuiga offered her. She sighed but reached her hands out to accept the bag but was appalled when he yanked it just out of her reach. "Not so fast," he teased. "First, I need you to accept my apology. About the other day―"

"Forget it." His mouth hung open, waiting for more words to spill out. "I'd rather starve." Akira turned on her heel and walked back toward her bed. But Izumi wasn't having it. He barely dodged the sliding door and followed her into the room. He reached out for her with his free hand, gently grasping her arm where he'd held her the other day.

"I'm sorry." She stood still, her eyes settled on her unmade bed. "The meeting caught me off guard and I ended up saying some things I didn't mean. I want you to feel welcome here, so let me make it up to you." His voice was uncharacteristically soft considering he was lying through his teeth. He wasn't sorry. In fact, all of this was a simple act going according to Tachikawa's plan.

"I thought you were my friend, Izumi... You haven't exactly done the best job at 'making me feel welcome.' If this is what companionship on Meeden is like, it's pathetic."

"I acted out of hand," he admitted. "It was a mistake." The girl quickly spun around and snatched the bag out of his hands before he could react. She retreated to her bed and sat facing him while digging out a croquette to enjoy.

"Thanks," she said sullenly. She nibbled on the treat as if she hadn't been starving herself the last few days. She kept her eyes glued to his figure as he stood there and stared. "I accept your apology," he smiled, "but I don't forgive you." Every feeling of relief he had flooded from his body in seconds.

"W-What? But you're eating my croquettes?!"

"You brought them for me, didn't you?" She took a condescending bite and chewed slowly, not daring to break eye contact with him. "You wanna fix things? You're gonna have to work for it. You can't get my trust that easily." He walked toward her bed and leaned over her with his hands perched beside her hips. She dropped her hand holding the croquette back into her lap but didn't falter even when he was so close to her.

"I already did, didn't I?" She leaned in closer, her glare only hardening.

"And you lost it just as quick." Without thinking, Izumi took a chance to look at her―I mean, really look at her. His golden eyes settled on the curve of her lips; how pink they were compared to her fair complexion and how perfectly full they were. He smiled boyishly, not feeling a hint of shame as he looked at her.

He finally backed off with his hands up in surrender as his attempt to fluster her failed completely. She took another bite of her croquette, watching as he flopped down beside her and held out his hand. Her eyes narrowed slightly before giving in and dropping a pastry in his hand.

"Don't worry," he purred. The hum of his voice almost―almost―made her heart pound a little harder. "I'll get it back in no time."