With your leg somewhat healed, Jaya picked up your hand and instructed you to take in a deep breath. Before you could question the action Jaya roughly popped the joint back into place. You gave a pained hiss as you felt your muscles and nerves almost snap back into their original positions.
Since your most pertinent injuries were dealt with, Jaya grabbed her baseball bat and led you down the road.
Ignoring the aches and pains running up and down your body, you managed to follow your friend until a car came into sight. You were struck with surprise as you came face to face with a bright red Ford Thunderbird. A part of you wanted to question the rather extravagant car, but then you remembered the fact Julius and Jaya's father was a doctor.
Jaya walked up to the car and knocked on the driver side window. An exhausted looking Julius unlocked the door for the two of you. It seemed Jaya dragged him out of bed after getting your call. He was in a wrinkled tank top and a pair of pajama pants. When he stepped out of the car Julius' eyes widened upon seeing the awful shape you were in.
"What in the world happened to you two?" Julius asked, primarily focusing his attention on Jaya, making sure there wasn't a scratch on her "I heard what sounded like gunshots!"
"We uh... ran into someone." Jaya replied as her brother examined her like a mother hen. After Julius finished making sure his sister was alright he turned to you with disinterest. He glanced between the cut on your forehead and the busted lip.
"Do we need to take you to the hospital or something?"
"I'll be fine." You shook your head. There was no way for you to explain why you wound up at the hospital to Senora Jones again.
"Let's get out of here." Jaya chimed with a yawn. "I think we could all benefit from a few more hours of sleep." Julius nodded and returned to the driver's seat; Jaya helped you into the backseat.
The car pulled away from the curb and down the cracked streets of Pueri Point. You leaned your head against the window and watched the old remnant of your childhood fade away. A pit formed in your stomach. What was your next move supposed to be? Your whole safety net of where you were hiding the arrow piece was halfway gone now. Sure, you were still the only one who knew where it was hidden, but now your enemies were going to be looking for the shard. Just as you were trying to formulate your next plan or next move, a sharp pain shot up your arm, followed by a slight burning.
Your head snapped to your side where Jaya was holding a medical kit and antiseptic wipes. Jaya looked up at you, surprised by your sudden movement. Your eyes looked between Jaya, the antiseptic wipe on your bullet wound, and back again."
"Ouch." You said, trying to play off the fact the burning sensation was reflexively making tears gather in your eyes.
"S-sorry!" Jaya sputtered, taking the wipe away from your arm. "I guess I should have warned you I was going to do that." Your friend looked away bashfully. "You seemed a bit lost in thought a moment ago and didn't want to interrupt whatever it was."
"Its fine Jay, no need to apologize." You assured the girl, your gaze gradually shifting to the box in her hands. "You brought an emergency kit with you?"
"I figured if you were making impulsive decisions, I might need it. Plus...c'mon, its you." Jaya laughed. "This isn't the first time I've had to patch you up, and likely won't be the last." The girl shuffled through the medical supplies in the box before pulling out a needle and thread. "Now stay still or I'm going to poke more holes in you."
You did as she asked, remaining as still as possible for fear of your injuries getting worse. Jaya busied herself with the wound on your arm. Unlike the graze you received in your leg, the one in your arm was deeper, to the point hamon alone wouldn't heal it properly.
In the hand opposite of the one Jaya was working on, you held the beetle pendant. The chain was beyond fixing, so the pendant was all you were left with. Jaya noticed your shift in attention and followed it to see the pendant in your hand.
"You never told me what that thing was ya'know."
"Its probably better I don't tell you." You sighed, running your thumb over the scratched gold plating of the jewelry.
"Is that thing what Blake was trying to kill you over?" Jaya asked, finishing up with your stitches.
"In a way..." You opened the locket to show Jaya the scrap of paper you had doodled a smiley face onto. "Maybe it was this that sent him over the edge...OW!" You looked over at Jaya who was once again holding an antiseptic wipe.
"Sorry." Your friend apologized as she took the wipe away from your skin. You relented, setting the beetle pendant aside, allowing the girl to tend to the wounds on your face. Jaya allowed hamon to flow from her hands into the cut on your forehead and your busted lip. Your eyes slowly came to a close as the ever-familiar sensation of the energy dulled your pain.
Julius looked into the rearview mirror. He saw the two of you and frowned at the close proximity. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes, throwing the both of you away from one another.
"What in the world was that?!" Jaya's attention snapped to her brother for some kind of explanation.
"We're home." Julius smiled innocently. Checking outside, you were now in the parking lot of Jaya's apartment complex. You stepped out of the car with a pained wince.
"Why don't I walk you home?" Jaya asked, noticing you were still a bit shaky on your feet.
"I'd appreciate that." You replied, regaining your balance. Before you or Jaya could begin heading out of the lot, Julius came up next to his sister.
"Hey sis, why don't you bring your bat with ya?" Julius asked.
"Okay..." Jaya replied a bit confused, but not rejecting the idea.
The second Jaya had her back turned, Julius grabbed you by the collar of your shirt. He roughly pulled you closer to him, a scowl adorning his features. You looked up at him, confused and intimidated.
"Jesus you're strong when you aren't recovering from a coma." You groaned, trying to escape Julius' grasp.
"Hurt my sister, and I'll kill you." Julius said with a deadpanned expression.
"E-excuse me?" You asked with a raised brow.
"You heard me." Julius growled.
"Me? Hurt Jaya?" You glanced over at the girl who was searching her brother's car for her baseball bat. Your expression softened a bit. "I wouldn't dream of it..."
"Don't go getting any funny ideas about her either!" Julius shot a glare your way. The boy reluctantly released your collar. "Got it?"
"Yes sir..." You hesitantly replied.
"Got it!" Jaya chirped, finally coming back from the car holding her bat. Completely oblivious to her brother's threats to you only a moment ago. Jaya hooked her arm around yours with a smile. "Let's get going."
"Yeah...lets go." You took one last glance at a fuming Julius before following Jaya out of the parking lot. The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes, Jaya steadying some of your shaky steps, and preventing you from stumbling. You looked at Jaya and then the bat slung over her shoulder. "You really know how to use that thing." You laughed lightly. "I'll admit, I was a bit intimidated when you used it on Blake."
"Let's just say, a giant metal bat sends more of a message then a bedazzled pepper spray." Jaya grinned.
"Fair enough." You commented, allowing the conversation to die off for a moment. "Thanks again for coming to my rescue. I don't know if I'd still be here without you."
"Maybe if you didn't walk into danger all the time I wouldn't have to. These adventures of yours are putting your health at risk." Jaya joked lightly.
"This is nothing." You replied sarcastically. "You need to stop following me into danger."
"No can do." Jaya laughed, playfully hitting you in the arm. "Someone has to fix you up when you get into trouble."
"Thanks Jay, I really mean it." You replied softly. Before long the two of you made it to the front of the Jones Family Bakery. "This is me." You said, walking up to the door.
"Sure you'll be okay?" Jaya asked, noticing you were still wobbling slightly when you walked.
"Yeah... thanks Doc."
"No problem, Jojo." Jaya gave a slight wave and turned back toward her home.
You sighed and faced the door, mentally preparing to sneak upstairs as quietly as possible. Your hand brushed against the door, preparing to unlock it, only to find it was already open. Odd, Senora Jones never forgot to lock up after closing for the day.
"Hey Jay?" You called, getting your friend's attention. "Hold up a second..."