Sokudo: Villains Always Win (ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ)

Chapter twelve | how are you feeling

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It was so quiet he could literally hear his heart beat, ringing in his ears. Thump thump thump was all he could hear, all he could pay attention to. His mind wandered and drifted aimlessly, not a single thought caught in the endless sea that was his mind. Thump thump thump, echoing through his head as he sat there and stared up at the blank ceiling.

Breathing through corrupted lungs, if he could simply stop his heart from beating ─ ironically, he would've done it in a heartbeat. He let out a deep sigh, a look that could only belong to a broken man plastered to his pale face. His eyes slowly glanced around the room, and he sat up from his slouching position.

He muttered something under his breath, leaned forward running his fingers through his hair. His eyes turned to the door a split second before it creaked open, his eyes widened and he jumped up to his feet. A woman, a nurse, entered the room and her eyes scanned the room, skimming past Satou's frozen stature.

"Huh," she sounded confused, a puzzled look on her features. "I thought someone was still in here," with a small shrug of her shoulders, she walked back out the door and closed the door behind her. Satou let out a quiet sigh letting his shoulders fall, as his body became visible again. He rubbed his tired eyes, then glanced at the empty hospital bed. He lifted up both hands and moved them through his hair, closing his eyes.

His blond hair dropped and his eyes opened, glowing light grey. He turned back to the hospital bed, and pulled out a sticky-note from his pocket, and a pen. Writing a few words on the note, he shoved the items back into his pocket, turned to the door and walked straight out.

He found Taichi talking to the lady at the counter, a broken look in his eyes as he pleaded with the lady. With ease, he slipped into invisibility and approached the younger boy. Taking out the sticky-note from his pocket, he stuck it onto the back of the boy's hoodie and immediately afterwards turned on his heel and walked towards the exit.

He hadn't gotten far when he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing his entire body to freeze up and accidentally deactivated his ability, making him visible again. Clearly startled, he slowly turned his head to look behind him, and his body only loosened up a little bit when he recognized those dark green eyes. Shoulders still tense, he looked at Taichi with wide eyes.

A playful smile glued to his face, Taichi held up the sticky-note which read "I'm going to get revenge, don't try following me. I'll probably be gone for a few days."

"What's this, huh?" Taichi questioned with an eyebrow raised, Satou opened his mouth to answer, closed it, opened it again but all that came out was an almost silent squeak. His lips pursing into a thin line, he turned around to face Taichi, his expression shifting into one of determination. Just as he was about to speak, he lost the chance.

"If you're going to get revenge on those bastards, then you have no choice but to let me follow."

That's where he was wrong, he did have a choice. Taichi, on the other hand, didn't have the option to choose whether he'd follow or stay behind. Satou had made that decision for him.

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She doesn't know how long it's been, an hour or so perhaps. The sun was still shining down brightly through the curtains, which she swore she had closed. Light shining in her eyes, she figured it was time to wake up. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and glanced at the clock sitting on her bedside table.

Getting changed out of her pyjamas, Chieko headed downstairs to find her mother relaxing in the lounge room. Walking into the kitchen, she unwrapped a rice bubble bar and made her way towards the lounge room. Hearing her footsteps, her mother turned her head and watched her walk in and sit beside her. "Oh, I was just about to wake you up."