Sweet Cherry | Kakyoin X !Fem¡Reader

Chapter 33: The Hanged Man

Avdol's head whipped back, and he hit the ground in the puddle behind him. Blood spewed from his head, leaking into the still water to turn it a murky red. His head wrap fell silently beside him, red staining the torn edges.

"Avdol!" Polnareff cried. He gaped at the man lying on the ground. "No."

Your vision was blurry, and your hearing came and went. You couldn't breathe right; it came in short, quick puffs.

"Av-Avdol," You huffed, gripping Noriaki's sleeve. "No. No."

"Man, today must be my day!" The stranger on the other side of the street boasted. "My gun and J. Geil's mirror are weak against Avdol's fire. I figured he would be the hardest to kill. Talk about luck!"

You felt tears slip from your eyes as you rushed forward, reaching out to the man you admired. Noriaki followed you, dropping to his knees beside Avdol and picking him up into his lap. You sat opposite of him, frantically releasing White Angel to stop the bleeding.

"Avdol!" Noriaki breathed. "Avdol, please." He gasped as a warm liquid enveloped his hand behind Avdol's back. Noriaki moved his hand to where he could see it, and he groaned. Bright, red, sticky blood stained his palm. He felt his breaths quicken.

He's just hurt. Noriaki thought. It's just a minor wound. See? He's going to start speaking. He'll open his eyes in a moment. Right, Avdol?

He began to shake the man. Avdol's head hung limply toward the dirt, excess blood still dripping from his wound. Noriaki shook him harder.

"Avdol!" He cried, yanking on his red robe. "Avdol, you gotta wake up! Please! Avdol!"

You're going to wake up, right?

"Avdol," You murmured, reaching up to his face. "Avdol! Please!"

He's not getting up. You knew. You knew that. You knew that and you can't do anything about it. Your stand is utterly useless. You can create heat, stop bleeding, and take away pain, but you can't heal? What kind of a stand is that?

You gently placed your hand on Noriaki's cheek, stopping him from jostling the limp man. He slowly met your gaze, tears falling from his sad eyes. You thumbed them away and shook your head. He choked on his breath as he carefully set Avdol down on the ground. He hung his head, staring at Avdol's bloody face as he cried. You pressed the back of your hand to your mouth to suppress sobs.

"That was too easy," Nori muttered. "It was too quick."

You heard someone spit and kick up dirt behind you.

"That's what he gets for lecturing people." Polnareff snarled. "Look at him now."

Your breath hitched in your throat. You whipped your head around to look at the Frenchman, who had his back to you.

"What did you say, Polnareff?" Nori demanded.

"Avdol was worried about you," Your voice was hoarse and shaky.

"Who asked him for help? He likes to meddle in other people's business, but he's slow as hell, so they got him. Guys like him just get in the way! That's why I said I was going it alone!" He brought his hand up, one finger raised.

"You bastard..." Noriaki said under his breath. "He saved your life. How dare you-" he stopped abrubtly.

"Pol..." You gasped. Polnareff's body shook and trembled. You heard small sobs escape his lips.

"I am sick of it!" He exclaimed, throwing his hand down. He slowly turned his head, and your heart shattered when you saw tears streaming down his face, falling onto the dirt below. "I am sick of having people up and die on me. I am so sick of it, you hear me!?"