Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 74

(Y/n)'s POV

I heard an irritated sigh above me. A soft material fell over my body before a content smile spread across my face. Sleep threatened to overtake me, my eyelids too heavy to open. Again, I drifted off into the land of dreams.

The next time I woke, it was already midday. Voices filtered through the door, notifying me that Cherry still had customers. I pulled the soft material tighter around my body, realising that it was a spare robe of Cherry's.

Whilst waiting, I wrapped myself into a ball, staring intently at the door until it eventually opened. Cherry startled, stumbling back a few steps upon seeing me. Laughter immediately erupted from my throat before I bent over, unable to stop the giggles.

"You come here early in the morning, half asleep and now you curl up into a monstrous ball of a baby thing just to see my reaction?" he exclaimed in irritation.
"Hehe, sorry. It was funny though."
"*sigh* Anyway, did something happen last night?"

My eyes glazed over as I recalled last night's events. Mum's screaming, dad's attempts at calming her, Yuu's shivering body. Cherry gave my shoulder a squeeze, and I knew that I had his support.

He dropped something in front of me and told me to come back when I was in a better mood. His credit card glinted under the dimmed lighting. Before I could even begin to protest, he left through the door and went to greet another customer.

After a moment's hesitation, I folded his robe and left it on a chair. Running my fingers through my hair to rid it of knots, I slid open the door and headed outside. A man was in deep discussion with Cherry whilst his daughter happily played with her doll.

Her bright chocolate eyes drifted to my stature as soon as I entered. Her hands clung to her father's sleeves as she struggled to get his attention. A cheeky smile plastered itself onto my face as Cherry let out an almost imperceptible sigh, hiding his annoyance beneath a veil of politeness.

"Papa, look! It's a model!" she exclaimed in excitement.
"Nagisa, don't be rude," scolded the man.
"No, it's alright, sir."

I executed a flourish of a bow as the young girl clapped excitedly.

"I'm not a model but I am a close friend of Sakurayashiki-sensei."
"But you're dressed so pretty!" said the girl.

My eyes glanced down at my outfit, though nothing unordinary caught my gaze. I had donned black boots that went up to my thigh along with ripped denim shorts and a (f/c) cropped top. Several accessories complimented my outfit, some of which included a choker and chains on my belt.

Admittedly, I hadn't changed out of this last night as mum had immediately lashed out at me upon my return. After sulking in my room, I had eventually escaped to Cherry's.

"I'm flattered that a pretty girl like yourself thinks so."
"Hehe, papa, she called me pretty," she whisper-squealed.
"Anyway, I have to go. Sorry for the interruption."

I winked at the girl before taking my leave. Her excited squeals reverberated through the walls, undoubtedly causing her father to try half-heartedly calm her beating heart.

A calmness overtook me as I traversed the quiet streets. Loneliness was an ill companion though at this moment, I did not mind the peacefulness of being alone. I had no destination in mind and nonchalantly walked into a chic shopping centre.

My gaze flowed past various stores until it caught on a familiar back. Langa...and he was with Ayaka...laughing. Jealousy ripped my heart, on the verge of tearing it into a million shards of broken glass. Why was he with her?...

A hard object suddenly pressed against my lower back as a low voice whispered into my ear. My hands trembled, sweat breaking out over my brow. A gun. I forced down the fear, the trauma, and the pain.

"Act natural. There's something we want from you, sweetheart," he purred.
"Who are you?"
"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Our next target will be your boyfriend...or is he your ex now?"

Clenching my jaw, I allowed him to lead me outside and into a narrow alleyway. Trash littered the ground, a pungent smell of rotten food and oil floating around in the air. I had no mind for gagging however, as my thoughts were solely focused on the gun still pressed against me.

A muffled scream caught my attention, distracting me long enough from my fear-induced thoughts to see Miya on the floor with his hands and feet bound. Before I could rush forward, the guy behind me shot up into the sky.

I let out a scream, covering my ears. Tears prickled my eyes though I was quick to force them back. His hand clutched my shoulder as he brought his mouth close to my ear.

"Scared?" he teased.
"W-what do you want?"
"Just to scare you for a bit. Orders from a Miss Yamada Ruka."
"Let him go. He has nothing to do with this."
"True but having your brother here gives us a bit of an advantage."
"My brother?"

Before we could continue our conversation, a dart flew past my head from behind. I hurriedly whizzed around, coming face to face with a gang that had been rivals of my uncle for a long while. The boy who had 'captured' me hid me from view with his broad back, glancing back to tell me to stay put.

Now that his hood was off, I could see that his hair was as dark as a midnight sky and his eyes blazed red like a passionate fire. Miya was suddenly clutching my hand. His bindings were off. A girl with the same black hair as our captor stood a little to the side. Her eyes were the amber of a melting sunset. Were they siblings?

"We just want the girl. Hand her over and there'll be no trouble," exclaimed a burly man.
"I'm sorry but she's my target for a job. That means that until I'm done with her, she's under my custody," replied our captor.
"Seems like you're asking for a fight."

The black-haired boy gestured towards both the girl and his subordinates behind his back. The other darkly dressed assassin-like people immediately disappeared.

"Get ready to run," he whispered.