The Dragon's Girl | Taiju Shiba | Tokyo Revengers

Chapter 24

Faint light sneaked its way through my lashes and into my eyes suddenly. Then, when my mind slowly gained its consciousness, that light got followed instantly by the smell of cigarette smoke tickling my nostril, seeping into my lungs with every breath.

I opened my eyes completely and gave myself a few seconds to recall where I was. I was still lying in Taiju's bed, alone, feeling the pain in my whole body coming back to remind me of everything that had happened. The park, the hit I received, my jaw, the soreness I was feeling after what we did last night...

I moved the covers away from me slightly, squinting my eyelids to see the reason why I got woken up at this time. And there he was, standing by the opened window, holding a lit cigarette between his fingers as he gazed down over the street. Next to him on the windowsill was his phone and the ceramic ashtray he always have in his room.

Taiju was still wearing his shorts from last night, only now he wore a grey t-shirt with it. His hair was still ruffled and messy. And behind him, giving his whole figure a holy aura, making him look almost like a godly creature of its kind, was the faint purple and salmon-pink colors of the soft dawn sky. Softening everything it casted its light upon, even the roughness of Taiju.

"Hey..." I whispered, my voice too low and hoarse. Taiju flicked his cigarette's ash into the ashtray before turning his head towards his bed.

His eyes changed from startled, narrowed, then amused. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" He said.

I shook my head and stretched under the soft covers, my bare legs rubbing against each other. "It's okay. Why aren't you in bed?" And just as I said this, I felt how cold the bed was growing because of the opened window. Why would he need to smoke at this hour?

"Didn't feel like sleeping..." He murmured as he dragged another hit and turned his full body to look at me, leaning himself over the windowsill. "Stay in there, it's cold." He added when he saw me turning as well to face him. I was still hugging his pillow.

"Mmm..." I stretched my legs further and felt my toes curling then I curled my legs to myself. Despite the soreness in my whole body, I felt good internally, somehow.

"Come over here then... keep me warm!" And as I whispered this, Taiju chuckled, dragged a deep breath from his cigarette and kept looking at me. Which caused my cheeks to heat up and lift in a smile.

"You looked too good I didn't trust myself to just lay there next to you..." he said then exhaled his smoke.

I giggled. "Oh! What a pervert! You've been watching me sleep, then!"

Taiju nodded. And I giggled more. "Come here please..!" But now he didn't smile. He didn't laugh. He only shook his head, glanced at his phone next to him, then exhaled another stream of smoke. I frowned. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded, then shook his head, then pressed his flat palm over his forehead then moved it towards his hair, pulling it back, then he sighed. Worry started to build in me. "Taiju..!" I sat up, the covers falling to my lap. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing that concerns you, don't worry." But his tone was far away from reassuring as I watched him drag another deep hit from his cigarette. And in that second, his phone dinged then its screen flashed. Taiju picked it up and glanced at it annoyingly. It was a text.

By the time he slid the screen open, read it, and had his thumb hovering over the screen, contemplating what his next move would be. Whether to answer or not. I was up and out of the bed, pulling down his t-shirt over my thighs as I walked towards him.

"Something is wrong..." I whispered as I carefully approached him, not asking but stating the obvious. Taiju clicked his phone shut, pressed his cigarette out into the ashtray and reached his arms to meet me half of the way.