''S-Shuichi, I c-can't leave you here!" Kaede shouted, trying to assist the claudicant detective with little success. They were chasing them: a set of nearing footsteps, a sure herald of the fact; and yet, cover was scarce. She had no chance of going through this with Shuichi trailing behind. ''Stand up!"
''Go. . . I'll distract them,'' he ordered and counted the bullets in his pistol.
''But I can't-''
''Kaede!'' Nothing more was necessary to end her escape's delay.
After passing the largely open area, she hid behind a derelict wall bordering on the entrance of a grove. A tumble of intermixed shouts and shots had her shaking for a moment. Silence followed; not for long, as the assailants approaching her spot started talking. She leapt off the ground and continued her run, heavy shots whizzing past her; but, delassation having taken lead, she sought cover behind a tree: that exposed her sides to a ludicrous extent and certainly made her an easier target. So, she fired herself for the first time, spraying distant trees with her jittery shots: none of which grazed her assailants, but sufficed to strike them with pavidity.
''Give up already!'' One of them shouted, his torvous countenance making rounds by looking from side to side.
Kaede didn't respond; instead, she sent another haphazard bullet spray their way. One of them charged forward, seeing that she had to reload. Kaede fumbled with her magazine before throwing it away and making a run for it.
A dilapidated building was ahead of her; if she were to use it as shelter. . . But no more plan-making: she tripped over a tree root and fell without hope of getting away.
''Running away makes things like this unnecessarily difficult, you know?'' One of the assailants remarked.
''What? Did you just expect her to give up?'' Another spoke.
''Well, I suppose this whole thing would've been less exciting if she did give up!''
Kaede stood up, rubbing her elbow.
''Oh crap, are you hurt, Kaede?'' Kazuichi asked; nervously putting his paintball gun away.
''No, it's fine,'' she reassured him. ''I'm just tired. It has been a long day.''
''And it's not over yet!'' Kaito highlighted, grinning at her. ''Anyway, don't worry about that. It's all foam or something else.''
''What did you just say?'' Kazuichi eyed him with disbelief.
''S-Sorry, I know she could've got hurt, but if it's all foam then-''
''We're in a forest, not some gigantic freaking playground where everything meets the safety standards!''
''So what if one of those were to collapse on me?!'' Kaito yelled. ''Was I endangering myself this whole time?!''
YOU ARE READING
By Death United (A Saimatsu story)
FanfictionShuichi is determined to solve the mystery behind the murder of Kaede's mother, but his investigation forces him to get closer to the ultimate pianist. As it happens, the boundary between duty and love blurs. Doesn't involve a killing game, and eve...
