Deeper Than the Knife

Chapter 16- The Storm, Part 2

It was the middle of the night when Yukino woke me up in a panic.

"We have to hurry." She said in a panicked tone that I've never heard before. Uh oh. 

"Hm, Yukino?" I asked sleepily. "What?" I was very wordy when I'm half awake. 

"We have to go. Now." She got up from the bed, and grabbed our emergency suitcases from the closest. I'm glad I packed my project earlier. 

I sat up in the bed, my eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. 

"Why?"

"They're here in the city." She said. I had no idea what she was talking about. "They'll find us any minute now."

I got up and out of my warm bed. I had slept in my regular clothes since I was too exhausted to change into my yukata. Yukino's tone, the shakiness of it, lead me to grab my kusrigama off the nightstand, and wrap it around my waist. 

"Who's finding us?" I was pretty slow in the morning, so I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. 

"Charlotte," She groaned-yes, my insides tied itself into a giant knot when she said that, shut up. "Your cluelessness is adorable on any other emergency." I was adorable? Yes, that was the only thing I got out of that. We have confirmed I'm a useless lesbian by now. 

She ran to Yarah's room, leaving me still confused, and came back a few moments later with a sleepy Yarah in her arms.

"Yukino, what's going on?" 

"My family is coming here!" She yelled in a panic. I did mention the panic, right?    

My eyes widened. They found us again. That got me up instantly, I opened the secret hatch in front of our bed. No time for standing around wondering how they found us so quickly.

Sounds of a window breaking filled the apartment. Well, crap. I kicked the suitcases down the stairs, they ended up on the little platform about eight feet downwards. Yukino placed Yarah-who was wake now, and terrified-on the steps closer to the platform. 

"Do not move. Stay here and don't make a sound." Yukino instructed.

"Why? What's going on?" Yarah asked. She looked so terrified, I just wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. But I couldn't. 

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, but we need you to do this for us." Yukino said trying to keep the fear in her voice to a minimum. But I could tell how afraid she was, all it did was reinforce my belief that her family did terrible things to her. That's something I could never forgive, I'll kill everyone who ever hurt her. 

Yarah nodded, tears flowing down her face and my motherly instincts overrides my murderous ones, and I just wanted to hold my daughter and wipe away her tears. Like a mother should do. I cried a little as I covered the secret opening, they couldn't find her. They can't find my daughter. 

I looked at Yukino, the apartment suddenly became ten degrees colder. I could see my own breath, and there was frost on the door. 

"They're here." She said softly as she grabbed her katana.

"Time for another family reunion." I  muttered. I took Yukino's hand, I wanted to tell her that I love her. To tell her how much she means to me, how before she came into my life-I was drowning. She saved me without either of us knowing. Yet, nothing came out.

Yukino looked at me, I looked at her. She leaned upwards and kissed me, like it'd be our last kiss.