もののけ | monster | soshiro hoshina (Kaiju No. 8)

よんじゅういち | forty one

もののけ | kaiju | monster

41

Soshiro

I CAUGHT HER JUST IN TIME, securing her in my arms as she nearly lost her balance. She collapsed against me, her entire weight pressing into mine, and I could feel her trembling. She buried her face in my chest, her breaths coming in shallow, labored gasps. The warm, sticky sensation of her blood seeped into my clothes, each drop a chilling reminder of the severity of her condition.

"I waited for you... for an hour..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, a fragile breath against my chest.

What does she mean by an hour? Has she really been waiting for me here, losing all this blood? The fury bubbled up inside me, but panic surged first, overwhelming me. I carefully lifted her, and she immediately grasped my shirt, her grip tight as she buried her face in my neck. The metallic scent of blood filled my nose, a smell l loathed. I hated blood—especially when it was hers. Kiyomi knew that damn well, so why did she come here? And how did she even fucking make it?

Carrying her with urgency, I moved to the couch in my office. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath. I hated that I didn't have a bed here. Gently, I laid her down, every gasp and labored breath she took making it harder for me to think straight. I made sure her head rested on a small pillow, then rushed to turn on the lights. As soon as the room illuminated, I took in the sight—blood everywhere. My desk, bookshelves, floors, walls—just fucking everywhere! The amount of blood loss made me nervous, my breathing almost stopping. How much blood had she already lost?!

"Sorry..." I heard her whisper. I quickly rushed back to her, kneeling beside the couch. My fingers moved to her injured area, lifting her leather jacket suit without caring for her permission, almost tearing it apart to get a full view of her injury. A deep single yet small wound—was it a gunshot wound? Someone had shot her?

I pressed my hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but more blood seeped out. "I...made a mess in your office," she said heavily. I looked at her face, shock and fear evident on mine. Her features were pale, her lips losing color with every second.

"What the fucking hell happened to you, Kiyomi?!" I almost shouted, my voice breaking. The situation was terrifying, and I couldn't think straight. The amount of blood was overwhelming. "I couldn't contact you for a fucking day!" I finally shouted at her, my voice trembling. "And now you just show up like this?!" My emotions were a storm inside me, tears threatening to fall. Kiyomi looked at me with that cold, detached expression she always had, and it only made my feelings worse.

"Tell me everything that happened, or I swear, Kiyomi, I won't let you get away with this easily," I said, my words meant to be a threat. But instead of reacting with fear or remorse, she started...laughing? It was a strained laugh, but genuine—a sound I hadn't heard from her in years. It sent goosebumps up my arms. Why was she laughing? Had I said something funny? Was she losing her mind?

"You're hot and cute at the same time when you're this worried about me, Soshiro," she spoke, her laughter finally subsiding. A faint grin curled on the corner of her pale lips as her bloodied hand weakly trembled and lifted to cup my cheek. "You're making me fall for you all over again," she whispered, her words registering in my mind like a surreal dream.