Predator [UNDER EDITING]

Chapter Sixteen:

~Character: Aomine Daiki~
~Point of View: 1st~
~Location: A local park~

I sit on a bench, my hands clenched tightly in my lap. Anger boiling within my system as I try to forget what I saw mere hours ago. Why would he do that? Especially to her?

She never provoked him to actually hurt her. Besides, she assured us it was verbal, not physical. I can't grasp why he would do such a thing to someone that doesn't deserve it. My first clench tighter, and if I'm not careful I'll cut the circulation off.

I remember how frail she looked, laying on that hospital bed. Her eyes straining to remain calm and strong, while under that mask her eyes looked dark and broke. The evident bruises on her neck, nail marks still a violent red . . .

"Why?" I find myself asking out loud.

"I . . . I don't know," Ryo says softly as he walks over. Twitching nervously. The wind tugs at his brown hair, ruffling it to make him look even younger. "You'd probably know better than I would."

I sigh and look at him. It's not hard to see how he's changed. (F. Name) changes everyone she speaks to, after all. He's nervous now, but not because of me. Rather he's worried about her. Understandably so.

The park is quiet, without a single soul besides us. The stars are hard to make out from the cloud cover, and the moon is dim in the sky. "He wasn't always like that," I say slowly. Letting Sakurai settle onto the bench. "No one knows why he suddenly changed. Yet (F. Name) took it the hardest."

"Because of the abuse?" Sakurai asks curiously. I shrug, and a silence falls between us. Our apologetic shooter adjusts his jacket. "Who is she?" he suddenly asks.

I look at him. Unsure of how to answer. Do I know her? She has so many faces, facades, sides, and mindsets. She was almost a different person every day after Seijuro changed. A once terrible liar; now a master. Once clumsy beyond hope; now a graceful, and lithe predator.

"I mean, who is she really?" Sakurai says in clarification for me. He zips his dark jacket up. Reaching into his pocket to clutch something.

I look at my hands. My knuckles losing color. "Who is she? I don't know. In middle school she was clumsy, honest, and hardworking. Naive even," I say. "But now . . . now I just don't know. She puts up facades, and masks to hide her true feelings. She's graceful like a hunter now, so sure of where she's stepping and where she's going. She's almost an entirely different person. Save for the ever changing emotions."

"Her emotions do change rather quickly . . ." Ryo trails off softly. Probably talking to himself more than me. "Aomine-kun, what are you going to do?"

"About?"

"Everything. If you see her again, play her in game. Just everything."

I find myself staring at Ryo in a stunned silence. Not once has he stuttered. Not once has he apologized. He's radiating such confidence in himself that I'm honestly quite surprised. This is a different side to him. One drawn out due to (F. Name).

"I . . ." I find myself at a loss for words. Ryo plays a good part in my fumble, but so does the question. What will I do? I can't be a jerk to her after standing up for her, and also seeing her so fragile. But I can't just drop and roll over either. "I don't know," I admit eventually. My volume a whisper; tone frustrated.

Sakurai sighs and leans against the back of the bench. Staring at the sky. "(F. Name)'s different," he says to me. Using her first name, while dropping the honorific. "It doesn't take an idiot to know. But I can't help but be concerned about her."