Angel | Saiouma

ଘThirty-threeଓ

"Shuichi, wait!" Kokichi gasped as they raced through the hospital halls.

Some nurses called after the two, scolding and yelling at them to slow down, but neither Shuichi nor Kokichi listened to them as they breezed past them in full sprints. Fluorescent lights flashed over their heads in a blur as people leaped to slide out of the way.

He was a mediocre runner but his legs gave him an advantage and he was quickly leaving Kokichi far behind. Their hearts pounded in their chest from adrenaline pumping through their veins and throughout their bodies. 

Kokichi finally rounded a corner when he saw Shuichi already talking with Maki and Kaito. The others were there too: Kaede with her soft round eyes, Keebo worrying his bottom lip, clinging to Kirumi who had a calm expression fixed on her face and worried hands.

"...found him this morning," Kaito said, expression dark with worry. "Police are still investigating."

Kokichi's legs abruptly gave out again as he collapsed in a nearby blue chair, breath coming out in short gasps. The hallway they were in now was painted pastel peach color and large doors with heavily frosted glass in front of them had large red letters painted 'INTENSIVE CARE UNIT' on them.

"How is he right now?"

"Last we heard, he's still in the ICU." 

Rantaro Amami.

The stupid young man, with a stupid compass phone case, and a stupidly large amount of familial love to share with those he cared for. 

The young man who'd just begun to reconnect with his brothers and sisters. 

He'd been shot. 

He'd been shot, cold, alone, and scared. 

A young adult, merely a child a handful of years ago, holding the newly made bleeding gunshot wound in his soft pale skin. 

The world tilted a little and Kokichi almost fell out of the chair as a strong chest burn seared through his lungs for a split second, knocking the breath out of him. 

'What the frickity frackity fucking fuck is going on with me?'

Shuichi sat down heavily in a chair across from Kokichi, his golden eyes still fixed on Maki and Kaito. "How long has he been in there?" he whispered as Kokichi struggled to sit back upright, catching his breath.

"About four hours?" Keebo mumbled, swallowing hard as his worried eyes flickered to the doors to the Intensive care unit. 

"Any idea on who did it?"

"We just said that they are still investigating," Maki snapped.

Shuichi immediately began to bristle but Kaede quickly stepped forward. "Calm down both of you," she said softly, firmly. "We're all upset, but let's not make things worse by fighting."

"This is getting out of hand," Kaito ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "What, it was about three months ago that Shuichi had been attempted to be shot at, first with that crazy car chase, and then at the penthouse. Thankfully Maki had been there to stop the hitmen or whatever you call them."

"We've already hired police to try and track these people," Maki groaned. "And Shuichi's been investigating alongside them." She glanced at him expectantly.

Shuichi only shook his head a little. "We haven't gotten any solid leads," he murmured. "Whoever is doing this though seems to know almost every move that we make. Who else knew that I was going to visit my uncle the day of the car chase?"

Kokichi glanced in slight surprise at the CEO who was practically yanking at his hair viciously in frustration. He'd been visiting his uncle that night? Other than his abusive father and suicidal brother, Kokichi had never really thought of his other family.

"Say, Shuichi..." Maki glanced harshly at Kokichi. "How long have you known Kokichi?"

Kokichi's mouth went dry as he instantly understood Maki's implications. Surprise and suspicion dashed across Keebo and Kaito's faces while Kirumi only shifted her gaze towards Kokichi steadily with an unreadable expression, though her eyes had become dark in contemplation.

It took Shuichi and Kaede a couple of seconds for the uptake and when they did, their expressions transformed into surprised anger. 

"He'd never do that!" Kaede shouted with surprising conviction, at the same time Shuichi leaped up like he'd been shot in the lower back, "Don't even think of suspecting him, he was-is my guardian angel!!"

'Idiot!"

Kokichi slowly buried his face in his hands, cheeks beginning to burn.

"Okay..uhm.." Kaito broke the awkward atmosphere with slow drawling words. "I get that you like Kokichi, a lot, Shuichi... But...guardian angel?"

"Never mind," Shuichi mumbled. "But I know he'd never do such a thing!"

"What about your father or uncle, Shuichi..?" Keebo asked quietly.

The silence that followed was deafening. 

Kokichi looked up with wide eyes to see Shuichi's tight jaw as he stared daggers at Keebo as the others edged uneasily towards Shuichi, lest he lunged at the squishable young man who was meeting Shuichi's gaze with surprising composure and fierceness.

"You guys said that Shuichi's father was a very important businessman and had bad relations with Shuichi," Keebo pressed on, either oblivious or ignorant to Shuichi's increasingly cold expression hardening. "What if he's the one behind all this, intentionally trying to destroy Shuichi?"

In all honesty, it was a frighteningly very accurate and strong point that Keebo had brought up; the problem was the way he'd introduced it to the CEO all wrong.

Shuichi glared at Keebo, who hadn't moved an inch in his seat. "Don't say things you have no clue about, Keebo," he warned in a clearer voice.

Deja vu hit him at his words which sounded eerily close to what he'd always tell Kokichi when he'd first met him.

"What?" Now Keebo stood up and though he was a solid few inches shorter than Shuichi, his stormy presence was enough to make up for his height against the CEO. "I'm not allowed to point out what could possibly be the very answer as to why you've been attacked before? The very answer to why Rantaro is now lying behind those doors as doctors try to keep him alive?!" The last few words were all but a furious shout.

"Shuichi, don't." Maki grabbed his arm tightly as he began to advance towards Keebo. "Let's just properly talk this out, okay? Keebo has a good point, but we can't just start fighting amongst each other." 

"Hey man, she's right. Rantaro would be so disappointed in us." Kaito said, putting a hand on Shuichi's shoulder. 

Shuichi clenched and unclenched his jaw tightly as tense silence dragged on for almost a solid minute. "Fine," he finally said. "Let's talk."

"I'll stay here and stay up to date on Rantaro's condition," Kaede said quietly. "The rest of you go and settle differences alright?"

"Where to Shuichi?" Kirumi sighed, pulling out some car keys.

Shuichi tilted his head a little. "Hope's cafe and coffee" he declared.

A collective, exasperated sigh escaped everyone's mouths.

-A/N-

Not a lot of focus on Kokichi, huh? 

For once, I haven't been dying! I just have been too lazy to write and I've been on a Black Butler manga binge.

I'm also playing a lot of overwatch with my sister, very exciting!

Do you like overwatch?