Living A Dead Dream (Baji x OC)

46

A short airy laugh escaped Rindou. "500 yen she chickens out or half-asses it."

"A thousand says she snaps one of his bones."

"Deal."

~

"Hey, Takemitchy said you wanted ta see me?" Baji asked as he stopped in front of the bench Sayu was sitting at.

"Ah, yeah. Go ahead and sit. I just..." she sighed as she rubbed her forehead and Baji sat. After Takemichi had told her what was going on, she couldn't help but feel partially responsible. She hadn't given it a second thought at the time, but now that she thought about it, that quick look Danny had given her was her asking for some help. If she had just caught on at the time, maybe this wouldn't have happened. "I just didn't know who else to talk to this about. I know Daju left a note saying that she'd be fine, but I know her. She'll bottle up her feelings until they all come exploding out at once. She'll take her anger out on anyone she fights, sure, but that won't help with the rest of her stress..."

"You're talking about Rin Kamishiro, right?" Baji questioned, making Sayu look at him with a bit of surprise.

"How did you figure that out?"

With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "The other day when she lost her phone and stayed at my place... I found her by the river, cryin' her eyes out. After she calmed down enough to tell me what happened, whenever she mentioned Kamishiro, she would just stiffen up. She told me a bit about how she was like her mentor back when she was in Black Dragon, but... I dunno, I think somethin' happened between them."

Sayu nodded in agreement. "Back then, after she got into delinquency... every time I'd see her, she'd have fresh cuts and bruises, and after the days she stayed at school a little later, she'd usually have a limp. Daju, being the person she is, always said it was just from a fight or that she tripped and fell. But now..." she pursed her lips together for a moment, "I think Kamishiro was using her as a punching bag. She rants about everyone usually, whether they're a friend or not, but Kamishiro? She hardly spoke ten words about her. It was almost like she was scared to talk about her."

"Yeah," Baji lightly nodded, "I kinda figured that was the case. If I could... I'd go an' get her outta there," he lowly said, making Sayu look at him with a bit of surprise.

Then, she smiled a bit. "You know, Baji..." she started, making him look at her with a raised brow. "You'd better take good care of her."

He blinked in surprise a few times, wondering if he heard her right. "Wha-"

A giggle escaped her, cutting him off. "You guys even have the same tell," she teased as she poked the tip of his ear that was poking out from his hair. 

He jerked away, covering his ear with his hand. "Quit it!" he exclaimed, making her chuckle some more.

"All jokes aside, I mean it. The fact that she let herself be vulnerable around you shows that she trusts and cares about you more than most people. If she didn't, she wouldn't have even let you get close to her. Besides, I think you two would be good for each other. You two are already crushing on each other, so why not make it official after all this?"

Surprised, Baji blinked a few times. She... has a crush on me? He couldn't tell if Sayu was being serious or if she was just teasing him. He liked Danny, that much he knew and had accepted, but there was a chance she liked him back? The thought alone made his heart flutter and his stomach swarm with butterflies. "You're... not fucking with me... are you?" he finally asked, still unsure.

"Baji, Daju is like my own sister. I could tell by the way she talks about you and even looks at you. She likes you. I love my romantic dramas, but I'd never lie about this kinda thing. You've got the best shot out of anyone, so shoot it, I say."