Rogue

Chapter 20

Akira had been sitting with her back against her door for hours now and yet she couldn't stop crying. She feared that if she moved even an inch she'd throw up. There was an indescribable ache in her chest and she felt sick knowing that she'd given so much time to someone that only wanted her power. She had been used once again, just like she had in every other country she'd been in.

The girl gripped her dress over where her heart was. She thought it would've been different this time, but of course, she was wrong. She was no more than a tool. How foolish of her to think she could ever experience love when she knew that she didn't deserve it.

Her green eyes gazed across her bedroom to her dresser. She stared at it blankly, her mind unable to form a proper thought that didn't end up with the image of his face.

This whole time... All he wanted was her Black Trigger this whole time...! Her body suddenly filled with panic, her eyes darting down to her chest where she found the pendant still chained around her neck. They were planning on taking the Black Trigger...

Akira shot to her feet and rummaged through her dresser for some fresh clothes. She had to get out of there. Now that she knew of their intentions, what was stopping them from simply coming and taking it? She had to get somewhere safe and fast.

The blonde stormed through her door, stumbling down the hall all while trying to maintain her composure. She felt like she could crumble to pieces at any moment, but she couldn't allow it until she was safe. Akira didn't know where she was going or who to talk to, but she knew she had to find him. She had to find Jin.

The girl made her way to the elevator, swiftly turning the corner without a care of what was on the other side until she bumped into a stiff body and fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?!" Akira looked up at two boys clad in red uniforms, one offering her a hand to stand up. She eyed the two for a moment, unsure of who she could possibly trust at the moment. However, she turned a blind eye and took the man's hand, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"We should've been more careful. We never intended to bump into such a pretty girl." The boy had fluffy, black hair and blue eyes whilst his comrade had shorter hair and kept his eyes hidden with a pair of sunglasses. "I'm Oki and this is my Captain Ikoma."

"Akira." She cursed herself for her trembling voice.

"Oh, you're on Tachikawa Squad, right?" She didn't respond to the two but instead felt her eyes sting again. "Are you okay?" After a moment of silence, the girl shook her head no as she didn't trust her voice not to crack under pressure.

"I-I need to find Jin but I don't have any way to contact him and―!" She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "It's urgent."

"He was at the solo-rank wars a little while ago but I'm not sure where he is now," Oki said as he tapped his chin.

"I'll call him." The other male and Akira both looked at Ikoma with hope in their eyes, the latter thankful for the fact that she was lucky enough to run into someone that was able to contact Jin. He held the phone up to his ear and waited patiently for the other side to pick up.

"Yeah, hello?"

"Jin... Oki and I ran into a friend of yours that happens to be looking for you."

"Oh, someone needs the Power Elite? Who is it?" Ikoma pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the girl with a blank stare.

"What was your name again?" Akira deadpanned at the male. Was he actually serious right now?

"Akira!"

"Her name is Akira―"

"Where is she?" Jin hadn't meant to cut him off, but seeing as Akira needed him he automatically assumed something was wrong.

"We're on the residential floor―" Jin hung up immediately, leaving Ikoma to stare off and drop his phone from his ear.

"Well, what did he say?" Ikoma was silent for a moment. Akira couldn't help but wonder where the hell he was staring but pushed that thought aside. These boys were so kindly helping her after all.

"He hung up." The blonde's head dropped. What the hell is wrong with this dude?! "He sounded worried, though, so I'm sure he's on his way."

Behind them, the elevator doors slid open, and out came Jin who seemed like he had just ran a marathon to get there. His blue eyes lasered in the blonde and took notice of her puffy eyes and the streaks of tears that had stained her skin.

"I'll take it from here." Jin was quickly by her side, turning her around to lead her back to her room with a hand on her back. "I owe you one, Ikoma!" The boys watched as he quickly swept her up and disappeared around the corner.

"His girlfriend maybe?" Ikoma crossed his arms, shaking his head at Oki.

"If she was his girlfriend then she'd have a way to call him." The boy with the visor simply shrugged and pulled his Captain along to their destination, putting that situation behind them. It was none of their business, anyways.

"What happened?" Akira turned to face her savior with teary eyes, watching as her bedroom door slid shut behind him.

"Tachikawa Squad is trying to steal the Black Trigger." Jin crossed his arms with a furrow of his brows. That certainly didn't sound like something his friend would do after inviting her to join his team.

"How do you know?"

"I heard them talking about it this morning! They thought I was asleep on the couch and Tachikawa started talking about their 'plan' to get close to me to steal it. He even had Izumi get close to me to draw me in and―"

"Breathe, Akira." She had only now realized that she was rambling and hadn't once taken a breath of air. She did as told and tried to calm her shaking hands by clutching them into tight fists.

"We spent all of last night together just so he could soften me up. That way they could take it without much of a fight." She bit her lip, her memories of the hurt she'd felt resurfacing and causing the ache to start all over again. Jin noticed her switch in behavior and stepped closer to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you positive?" The blonde simply nodded, another tear escaping her eye. "I didn't see it with my Side Effect..."

"Jin!" He frowned as she cried out his name. "I heard them! And they know I heard them!"

"You think they're gonna try to come take it by force?"

"Yes," she whimpered. She was fully crying now and seeing as this was Akira, that clearly wasn't a good sign. "Their plan failed so what other choice would they have?" He looked at her and carefully studied the way her body trembled and the fear in her eyes. He could tell just by her lack of a strong demeanor that she really didn't want to hurt anyone and she was simply seeking help.

"Pack up. I'll get you a ride to Tamakoma." Before she could spin around and start shoving her belongings into a duffel bag, he grabbed her arm and kept her close to him. "Are you okay?" She gave the tiniest of shakes of her head and sniffled at the thought of how she'd let them take advantage of her. Jin pulled her into a hug which she gratefully accepted.

"He lied to me." He could feel her hands gripping the back of his blue jacket as she buried her face in his shoulder. "He told me he cared about me." Jin grit his teeth, anger bubbling up in his stomach. He had to stop himself from becoming so overworked and tempted to bust their door down himself.

"Get your stuff."