Please... Forgive me...

Chapter II

Chapter II

The pain in my right shoulder woke me up, when I accidentally laid down on it. I sat up and the strangely calming beeping of the hospital machines was echoing gently in my ear. Where am I...?

"Virginia!" I looked towards the voice calling my name.

"M-mom...!!" I looked at my mother. "Mom!!" I was about to stand up but she rushed up to me and I felt something, I thought, I would never feel again. Her hug... The feeling of her arms around me.

"You shouldn't stand up yet..." She whispered as tears were quieting her voice down.

"Mom... I'm back..." was everything I murmured before the feelings took best of me. We cried. But surely not out of sadness.

"Wh-Where's dad...?" I looked up to her. She didn't change much... She still had her black wavy hair, and her eyes were still as beautiful as the leaves of a tree. Such an eternal green. "And...how did I end up here...?"

"Dad's working... He will visit you once he has the time... You remember it right? Whenever he was working, you pouted and wanted to play with him on, but he has the same stubbornness as you..." Mom smiled... It took us a while to calm down, and now I asked what has been resting on my mind.

"Did he bring me here...?" I looked up at her. "And where's Kuruko? Is he mad at me?"

"Kuruko... He left us shortly after you've been kidnapped... We never saw him... And well, may I introduce someone to you? He saved you... He brought you here..." Her voice was ever so soft... I missed it... I missed her... Finally I was able to hear her... Right next to me.

"Sure... Who is it?" I looked at mom.

She nodded towards the door and a young man, wearing a mask entered the room.

"Forgive me for my rude behavior when we first met. I wanted to bring my lady back home as fast as possible. So I injected a drug in your right shoulder." He bowed deeply and I touched my shoulder.

"That's fine... Don't worry about it..." I always got called "Lady" or "Princess" because my parents were the leaders of our village.

"Please call me Aki. I am truly happy to be your bodyguard." He stood straight again and I looked at him at disbelief.

"What?! No! This has to be a mistake!" I raised my voice. "I don't need a bodyguard! Mom!" I looked at her.

"I'm sorry dear... But we don't want you to get in danger again... And Aki is the best assassin of us all..." She looked at me with her innocent eyes and all I could do, was to give in.

"But mom... I don't want a bodyguard... I promise not to leave the house again.... Just-!" I tried to discuss on but dad interrupted me.

"No! You shall live your normal life! But Aki will make sure those traitors will not come for you again." The sharp voice of dad interrupted every protest of me.

"Dad..." I looked up to him. "Please... I am grown enough to watch after myself." I looked determined at him.

"No discussions. Bear with it." Dad hugged me and didn't leave any space for discussions anymore.

I knew he did this for my best... He loved me... He couldn't bear the thought of losing me... But if Aki wasn't afraid of harming me, what else would he do in order to protect me? I was afraid.

"Dad... Where's Kuruko?" I looked at him.

"He's gone. Accept it my Lady." Aki answered before dad even had the chance to answer.

"... I see... If you know this... Then you can tell him that I am still waiting for him." I answered, not mad but pissed off at him.

"He will never return. That's what he said." Aki answered. I decided to leave the discussion... I didn't want him to talk about Kuruko like this... Kuruko was...