Ruby Red

20

I was released from the hospital the next day with strict instructions to clean and wrap my wounds every few hours to keep them from getting infected from the stitches. Shinoda had practically crushed me in a hug when he came to pick me up and got my shoulder soaking wet with his tears. Though I made fun of him at the time, a feeling of guilt remained in the form of a lump in my throat. I regretted everything as I thought of what I had put him through. He probably walked into Border with an equally damp shirt.

He ran off to a meeting as soon as we got back so I was left to journey to my room alone. School had long since ended so there were plenty agents to stare at me. I kept my head down as I trudged through the main room and to the elevator until I was ambushed by some of Border's best.

Midorikawa, Yoneya, Izumi, Utagawa, Tachikawa, and Jin all ran up to me.

"Are you okay, Hanako?!"

"When did you get released?!"

"What happened?!" I stared at the boys and just shook my head sadly. Jin stepped forward and hugged me tightly.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see that future at all!" I patted his back lightly.

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Don't worry about it." I pulled away from the brunette and waved at the group before departing toward the elevators. I stepped inside, but as the doors closed, Utagawa slipped through and joined me, hitting a familiar floor number, just a few below mine. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Kazama hasn't spoken to anyone since he got back from visiting you in the hospital... What happened?"

"Nothing I wanna talk about."

"Hanako, please. You two need to stop whatever game it is that you're playing and fix things. It's painful to watch." I looked up and met his pleading eyes and sighed.

"Fine. I'll talk to him, but I doubt things will go smoothly." The elevator dinged and stopped at the level which had Kazama Squad's Team Room. "Kazama's not one to apologize." I left the teen to himself and dragged my feet down the hallway. I could see the door approaching but I was held back from it with a sense of dread.

I stared at the door, almost expecting it to show me what the scene was inside without having to enter. I could've easily avoided this if I had forgotten my old Trigger in Shinoda's car, but unfortunately, it rested smugly in my pocket. I held it out and the door slid open with a whoosh and revealed a neat room with not a single thing out of place.

'Either Kazama and the boys are neat freaks, or Mikami gets after them to clean up like their mom.'

I walked in on my toes and listened closely to the quiet breathing which happened to be the only sound in the room. I walked closer to the source and found the target asleep on the couch with his arm slung over his eyes. I sighed softly and walked closer to find myself sitting on the floor in front of him.

I scanned his face; it was more pale than usual which I quickly figured it was from the stress I had been putting him under for the last two years. I gulped and leaned my head against the couch.

"Kazama... I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I know you've never really forgiven me for leaving and I don't expect you to. You practically took me in and gave me a family of some young, stupid boys," I chuckled darkly under my breath. "I've said some awful things to youー I've done awful things to you... You don't deserve it. I'm sorry." A hand found its way to the top of my head, stroking my hair gently.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing." My eyes shot up and found the male's face out for viewing. However, his crimson eyes remained glued to the white ceiling. "Our fights have been my fault." I huffed out a breath and smiled slightly.

"You're right. It's all your fault," I teased. He merely scoffed. "Kidding. I really am sorry, though..." His head finally shifted toward me, but I averted my eyes to the floor I was kneeling on. He retracted his hand and I could hear his movements on the couch. Before I knew it, he was sitting in between me and the couch, staring at me hoping to make eye contact.

A blush rose to my cheeks as I raised my eyes to meet his. We were suddenly in our own moment with absolutely nothing else important than the two of us staring at each other. My heartbeat hastily sped up with an intense pounding that almost hurt.

The feelings I had once decided on forgetting had now resurfaced just as I was staring at this pale boy before me. I could only describe this feeling of butterflies in my stomach as pure love and adoration for him.

In an instant, I tilted forward and pressed my lips against his with my eyes squeezed shut to avoid seeing the panic in his eyes. After a few seconds of no movement from him, I began to peel away from him. The skin of our lips barely separated until he quickly pulled me back with gentle hands on my cheeks. A soft, loving yet awkward kiss captured me in this moment and held me there for what felt like centuries.

The stories of feeling a spark or fireworks from a kiss seemed appealing, but here and now, things like that didn't happen. It was simply his lips pressed against mine in a slow dance that kept us tied into the moment. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

After a few moments, we separated and panted slightly from our momentary lack of oxygen. I kept my eyes shut since I knew that the second I saw him, I would be a mess of bright scarlet explosions that would remain until he left my presence. His hands remained planted snuggly against my burning cheeks and his forehead dropped lightly onto mine. His breath fanned my face, making it grow warmer and his nose nuzzled mine in the slightest.

I was taken aback by the intimacy we had shared since I had never expected anything more than a monotonous insult from Kazama. Instead, I got to see a vulnerable and vaguely innocent boy who'd probably never shared this experience with anyone else.

I finally opened my eyes and found him much closer than I anticipated. His lids hid the precious jewels I loved looking into and his dark brows furrowed slightly. My hands slid up his body, one resting on his chest and the other trailing up to ghost his jaw. My thumb glided against his soft skin as my eyes trailed down to his lips again.

Without any hesitation this time, I reconnected our lips in a deeper, more passionate kiss. It wasn't as long, but it held twice as much emotion. His hands lowered down to my waist and pulled me closer into a hug all the while being careful of my injuries. My face nuzzled into the crook of his neck and my arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders. "You know I love you, right?" I asked casually. He hummed in response and pressed a feather-light kiss on the side of my head, gripping me a little tighter.

We stayed like that for a long time, not wanting the moment to end.

赤  

SO DIFFICULT NOT TO GO OOC!!!!! Anyways, just one or two more chapters, I haven't decided. I have the next chapter written and ready to go but I don't know if that's how I want to officially end it yet. We'll see ;)

Thank you all so much for reading and supporting this book! I really really appreciate it!