Christ, my head fucking hurt, no only that, but it felt like I'd been hit by a small car. The last thing I wanted was to wake up at this moment. Sadly, fate would have it that I wouldn't get what I wanted. I cracked an eyelid, a small ray of light filtering through the leaves of the tree I was laying in. Memories slowly flooded my brain and I rubbed my face, trying to push away my sleepiness. I was vaguely aware that the cut near my eye was healing, but I paid no mind to it. There was a rustling above me and I moved to hide, but something held me back.
I grunted and looked downward, taken aback when I saw my belt, actually, more than one belt, strapping me to the branch I was laying on. Puzzled, I unhooked the strap and held the leather in my hands.
There was another rustle and I pushed myself up against the tree trunk, peaking around to catch a glimpse of what was making such a racket.
"Good, you're alive." I yelped and my head snapped forward, Suguro's silhouette coming into view. "You look like a dork, leering around a tree like that." I huffed and noticed his sagging pants. Without confirmation, I separated the belts and tossed the longer one to him. "Thanks, I got worried that you'd tumble down while I was gone, so I took the liberty of using my S&M skills on you."
My nose scrunched up, "that's disgusting, and the last thing I wanted to know about you." He laughed and waved me off, mentioning that he was joking. "So, what were you doing?" I slowly got to my feet, but a sudden pain shot through me and I bit my lip to conceal it.
He didn't seem to notice and he pointed upward. "It was too dark to see last night, but now, I can safely say that I've found the road."
Hope bubbled in my chest and a smirk crossed my face, "really? How far away is it?" My tail thumped happily against the trunk and Bon gave me a quirky look.
"We could walk there in five minutes, probably."
"You're shitting me, we were that close? Goddammit." I ran a hand through my hair, my world slightly tilting, and I leaned against the tree casually. "Well, I guess the only issue is knowing when to get off the road."
Bon nodded and crouched over, jumping down a branch and looking up at me, "Well? Standing around and talking about it doesn't get us anywhere." I laughed and he hopped down another branch. I chewed on my lip, feeling a small ball of anxiety settle in my stomach. My leg was a little fucked up, and I didn't know how mobile I could be. There was only one way to find out, though. I took a few deep breaths and followed Bon. I pushed myself down, branch by branch, bitting my tongue along the way. To be honest, it wasn't as horrible as I thought it'd be.
"You sure are taking forever, you need some help?" He called up and I declined, shoving myself down another branch. Finally, all I had to do was touch the ground. I swung myself over the last branch, dangling my legs over the edge and pushing myself off.
"Gah!" Most of the pressure hit my right foot, reverberating up my shin.
"Dude, you okay?" I nodded vehemently and he sighed. "If you're that fine, let's get a move on. I don't feel like spending another night with man's best friend." I pulled myself up into a standing position, waiting until he turned to let my expression crack. My leg was pounding harshly and I had to cover my pained grunts as we continued to walk.
Bon made sure to lead the way, pushing branches away and avoiding ferns and tree roots. He knew I was putting on a facade, but at times like this, you really can't afford to whine. He was silent during our journey, and not once did he bring out his phone. Finally, I brought up the topic; "what time is it?"
"Hell, if I know," he grunted back. "My battery drained sometime last night. All I know is that it's morning, and I'm no good with that whole 'look at the sky' thing." I hummed and followed after him, the dull ache in my shin was bearable, for now.
It was only a few minutes more before Bon cried out in relief, "fuck yes! I'm a beast, I told you we could make it." He turned on his heels, a stupid grin on his face as he gestured to the road. It was pretty beat up, tire marks and potholes flawing the usually smooth surface. The tar had been grayed and worn down, pebbles lodged deep inside. However, despite its grim appearance, I couldn't be happier to be on the shittiest road in Japan.
With new hope in our veins, we treaded across our new trail. The sun was fully in view, and unlike Ryuji, I could figure that it was close to noon. Although it was cold enough to make me shiver, the heat reflecting off the pavement was enough to make me sweat, both combined together made me even colder than I'd thought.
I'd lost track of time, and my thoughts were wandering, so I didn't notice the dip in the road until I tripped in it. Bon grabbed me by the shoulder and steadied me, his eyes wandering over my disheveled appearance. "Okumura, you okay? And don't lie because I can see right through you." I sighed and slumped down to my knees. "Oi, answer me, I'm getting worried."
"Everything hurts," I mumbled, suddenly very aware of my aches and pains. Not only did they emit from my joints and muscles, but now my entire body just felt heavy, like gravity had suddenly doubled. "My arms are gonna fall off or something." I breathed deeply and looked up into Suguro's eyes, which I'd never seen so distressed.
"Okumura, I swear to god, when was the last time you ate, or even had a drink?"
I shook my head, "a long time, I didn't want to take food that someone else might've needed."
"Motherfuck- well, you clearly needed it!" He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "Honestly, you haven't had anything since before we landed our asses here?" I nodded and he gave me an incredulous look. "You piss me off so badly, yet I can't help but to applaud you for not dying yet." He grunted once more before sighing, "can you stand?" I took a moment, unsure that if I was able to get to my feet, that I'd stay that way for long. He took my silence as an answer and grabbed me by my right arm. He pulled me up and tossed my arm over his shoulders, coaxing me forward. "Well, we might not get back to camp as fast as we thought, but when we do, you're sitting your ass down and eating, you hear me?"
I nodded and thanked him. He was actually quite considerate when he wanted to be. My leg still throbbed, but thanks to Bon, I didn't have to put as much pressure on it. I cackled awhile later and he gave me a look, "Yukio is going to murder us." I chuckled again and he rolled his eyes, agreeing. "If we make it out of here alive, I owe you, majorly."
"I'm holding you to that promise, Okumura."
.oOo.
The sun was three-fourths of the way across the sky, and I knew we only had two hours or so left of daylight. We'd been walking for what seemed like forever, and I'd fallen multiple times, and even passed out on occasion. I could tell that my declining health was effecting Bon's mentality.
"W-wait," I sputtered, feeling my head starting to go fuzzy again. "Drop me, I'm gonna..." he didn't hesitate to lower me down.
"Head between your knees," he said, his tone holding no emotion. I wondered if he was expecting me to pass out and die one of these times. Perhaps he was distancing himself so he wouldn't be affected as much. I really couldn't blame him, could I? However, he kept his hand on my shoulder as I breathed deeply, trying to keep my grip. A few moments passed before he suddenly squeezed my shoulder, standing up. "I'll be right back, okay?"
There was a sense of urgency in his tone, and I opened my mouth to stop him from going, but no words came forth. His footsteps left, almost like he was running, but why would he run? Had he honestly given up on me? Decided to, literally, leave me to the wolves? I chuckled breathlessly and dropped my grip on my knees, laying flat on the ground. My eyes wandered over the orange and pink hued sky, it's beauty not even registering inside of me. Honestly, I should just give up. It's futile to keep fighting like this. What's the point of drawing out my own suffering?
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, all I had to do was let go and allow the hollowness of sleep wash over me. Yet, I knew, that falling asleep the way I am, I would never wake up. It was a fact, I could feel it in my bones. These bones which ached, and muscles that barely functioned, my own body was consuming itself just to exist. Not even my demon side could protect me now, if anything, it hurt me in the end. With my high metabolism and stamina, I was able to move about, ignoring the hunger pains. However, once my energy depleted, it hit me like a bus, and did worse damage than if I were to have crashed days before.
All I had to do was let go, eh? Death seemed a lot more comforting than the movies made it out to be. Sure, there was the daunting fact that my decision was irreversible, but at this point, I never wanted to-
"Wake up! Wake up, dammit!" An unpleasant sensation tingled on my left cheek and I felt myself coming back to the surface. "Rin! Come on! Don't do this to me!" The pain in his voice stirred something inside me. I needed to right that wrong and get rid of that pain. However, as those thoughts crossed my mind, my own pain made a reappearance. I groaned and I heard him sigh, "open your eyes," his voice was firm, but his tone stayed the same.
I peeked through my lashes, my eyes meeting muddled teal orbs. I blinked away my exhaustion and tried to push myself up, but Yukio held me down, "don't move, let us help you." He looked away from me and I was vaguely aware of someone lifting my arms, I looked up and saw Shima, who avoided my gaze.
"Ugh," I grunted and whined when Yukio hoisted my legs up, and they were quiet as they carried me back to camp. "Fuck!" Birds flew from the trees at my exclamation when Yukio moved his grip. I cracked open my eyes just in time to see his horrified expression. No doubt he'd wanted to see everything, and that'd be a huge pain in my ass to deal with.
Finally, they set me down on the ground and I sighed in relief. Shakily, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I sensed all of their eyes on me and I kept my gaze downcast. After a moment, I felt someone tap my shoulder and I looked up at them through my bangs. It was Suguro, he was crouched in front of me, a water bottle in hand. "Here, it's all we have left, and you deserve it more than all of us."
I hesitated, and he grabbed my wrist and shoved the bottle into my hand, "enough with the martyr shit; you nearly died. You say you hate being a hassle, but a dead body is a huge hassle, wouldn't you agree?" I huffed and uncapped the bottle, taking a swig and realizing just how raw my throat was.
"When your done," the familiar tone of my teacher and twin was soothing, yet irritating. "I want to know everything, got it?"
I glanced up at him, his form only a few feet away. I sighed and nodded, accepting my new fate. I'd emptied that bottle within minutes and I already felt somewhat better. I had a killer headache, but I pushed the pain aside, rubbing my temples and preparing myself for Yukio's interrogation.
"What happened?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but Suguro did that for me. He talked about getting lost, even after using the symbols, and how we decided to camp out for the night. My brother grunted in agitation, "you promised me that you'd be back before we slept."
I shrugged, "shit happens."
He grunted once more and Bon continued, "Then, in the middle of the night, this asshat," he shoved a finger in my direction, "wakes me up to a huge pack of wolves-"
"Wolves? Are you guys okay??" Shiemi piped up, her voice was trembling and I had a feeling she'd been crying for awhile now. Yet, her face was dry, albeit a bit red. "Well, I mean, you guys must be okay, you're here."
"Let me finish," Bon scratched his head, his messy hair flopping around. "We were able to stick it out in a tree for the night, and I'm okay." He turned his head toward me, "but you had a pretty nasty brawl with those fuckers. I don't really recall it thanks to how quick it all happened, but I know you're pretty fucked up."
"Rin," my brother got to his feet and I gave up on this battle before it even began. "Show me your injuries." I sighed and pointed to my shirt, deciding to ease him into it. He walked behind me and asked me to turn away from the group, which I was thankful for. "Off with the shirt."
I gawked, "completely off?"
"Now's not the time to be shy about appearances." His expression was like stone and I huffed, tugging at my sleeves and pulling my shirt over my head. I tossed it to the side and set my hands on the ground behind me, leaning against them to show Yukio the damage I'd been caused. "Bruises are explainable, but what are the cuts from?" Cuts? I glanced down and ran my fingers over the inflamed marks on my chest.
It clicked in my head and I kept my voice low, "they're scratches."
"Those are scratches?" He followed suit and kept his words hushed. He seemed puzzled and he was about to ask me something else when he faltered. "Animal scratches?" I nodded and he remained silent, reaching out and touching the raised marks. His fingers were chilled and they were a welcome change to the heat my body was producing. "Okay, anywhere else?" He waited patiently for me to answer, but when I stayed silent, he moved on his on accord. "I know one of your legs hurt, you made that very apparent when we carried you here." He gave me a pointed look, "which one?"
I averted my gaze, "right," I mumbled. He hummed and grasped my foot and brought it closer to him, pulling up my pant leg slowly. I, myself, hadn't even seen it, so curiosity got the better of me. I bit my lip, seeing the puncture wounds that wrapped around both sides of my shin. The back teeth sunk in further than the front, wet blood still oozing from the marks. Red streaks seemed to have erupted from said area and went up to my knee and down passed my ankle.
"Oh, Rin..." I glanced up, but Yukio kept his expression down, away from my gaze. "This is bad... so, so bad."