ai | s. manjiro & m. takashi

じゅうに

"Your opponent is me, idiots."

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

"Is it really okay to leave Inui behind?" Ai asks, the two of them already drenched from the rain.

"Inui can handle them" Kokonoi slips, still holding onto her wrist tightly.

"Them? What do you mean them?" Ai asks, her eyes widening. "You don't mean-"

Before Ai could finish what she was supposed to say, another group of men walking towards them. She immediately could see which gang they belonged to and a sigh of relief came out of her mouth.

"Koko, I'll be okay. They're Toman members." Ai says, but Kokonoi didn't budged. He still held onto her wrist tightly, glaring at them.

"Koko?"

"Ai, even if they're Toman, they look like they don't have good intentions towards you." He says, loosening his hold from her wrist.

"Run!"

Slowly, Ai walked backwards and started running away. She didn't have any particular direction in mind, but Ai kept running and running and running. Until she found herself back into the forest. And since she was back in the forest, Ai thought it would be best to look for Inui.

"Inui!" She called out, turning her head both left and right.

"Inui!"

As Ai continued to look for Inui, she was unaware of the hand raised behind, knocking her out.

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

What seemed for only like minutes, Ai was slowly bringing herself back to consciousness. However, a sharp pain seared through her feet and up towards her legs. Jolting her eyes open, she found her left ankle all swollen and bruised.

"Now you got a nice story to tell in the afterlife." Ai heard a man's voice say, followed by the sound of laughter.

"Hey Takemichi" one of them says "We have a surprise for you! You too Draken!"

The hold around the back part of her collar tightened as she was dragged forward. Her once tight bun now disheveled and her hair wet from the rain. Wimping and crying, Ai bit her lower lip as she felt the horrible pain stabbing in her ankle.

"Ai!"

"Ai!"

Turning her head, she was greeted by the sight of Draken being bloodied and Takemichi. Smiling softly, she mustered her remaining energy by waving her hand at them.

While Ai was slumped behind, she wondered where Kokonoi and Inui could be. Are they safe? What would she tell her older siblings if they caught sight of her ankle? What lie will she tell her instructor?

A stabbing pain pierced through her heart as she thought about her ballet sessions. Everything she had build up for herself, would all just come crashing down in one night. And why were the men of Toman attacking her? Wasn't it their purpose to protect those who are dear to them?

Toman....Hakkai...

"I don't think I can keep a secret from you, nii san" Ai mumbles to herself, smiling a little as thinks of Hakkai. All of a sudden,the sound of police and ambulance siren rang from the distance. And two looming figures hovered over her.