97. Staccato
"Seriously, what were you THINKING?!"
Getting my hand patched up, Tsuna of all people was yelling in my ear.
"There is a LIMIT to how stupid you can be!" he reprimanded, angered, frustrated, and abslutely concerned all mixed into an explosion of emotion that ended up with-- tears?!
"Wait, I'm sorry, Tsuna are you crying??" I panicked completely because did I just make the main freaking character of all people freaking-
"I am!" his reaction was surprising to me, "Is this even the time to be so ridiculous, Rei?? It was your dominant hand, too!"
Is it just me, or Tsuna is very strangely assertive when it comes to me?
"I said I was sorry!" I whined, looking away. "Look, I apologize. I repent. I'd even go home right now, if that's what you want. Don't give me that face please I'm weak to puppy dog eyes--"
-
-
Stuffed back into a helicopter headed straight back toward Namimori General hospital, Kusakabe Tetsuya accompanied me on my journey back. As a watchdog.
Kusakabe scrutinized me very closely, his eyes not leaving mine for the whole journey, not even for a moment-- Feeling terribly unnerved after half the journey, I brought up the courage to speak.
"Ku-Kusakabe...-senpai," I started.
He perked up in interest.
"You've been glaring at me for about ten minutes now," I fiddled with my fingers nervously, "Aren't you going to scold me too?"
My eyes drifted away from him, bracing for verbal impact--
But what he gave me was simply a sigh.
"I won't," he assured me, "you may not be as stubborn as Kyou-san, but the both of you have a lot in common. For example, the habit to deal with everything based on impulsive decisions."
I winced.
"However, impulsive as they are, they are never done without the courage to bear the consequences." Kusakabe gave a comforting smile. "I believe that much is to be respected."
At that-- my lips curled up and I felt a bashful, thankful chuckle rumble from my throat.
"But the next time you do that," Kusakabe turned serious, "I'm yelling at you."
Straightening up immediately, I respond, "Yes sir, I am very sorry!"
-
-
"I will be heading back to the ceremony. I trust you can promise good behaviour herein?"
Dropping me off at the hospital roof, Kusakabe insisted on walking me to my room before he was satisfied. He was kinda like a mommy sometimes. Or a big brother or something.
"I promise." I told him, not intending on causing anymore ruckus anyways.
Clutching my now injured hand, I winced as I felt the sting and slight tug of the stitches. Each twitch I made sent another throb up my arm, and I was beginning to really regret doing it.
"You alright there?"
Kusakabe's concerned voice made a smile shoot back up to my face, "Of course!" I grinned, "Actually-- you should really hurry back to Hibari-senpai."
He raised an eyebrow at the strange suggestion.
"He's injured. Or getting injured." I told him, my smile staying on but my eyes softening. "Pretty badly, and so are the rest of everyone there. He might listen to you, so go on now."
Turning around, I opened my door, and stepped into my room.
"Rei-san," Kusakabe spoke up before I closed the door, "Why do you know all this? How do you? Or is it but repeated guesses on your part?"
How many times have I been asked that question? Why do I keep creating situations to be asked that question?
I have the chance to be a badass world intruder, so why not?
A smirk marring my face, I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn't as ecstatic as I felt. "I can see the future." I grinned, "Not as far as ten years-- but a minute, an hour, a day or a month away-- I know the major events that will occur, to detail."
Keeping secrets are a pain. I've never been a good liar, after all.
"Do you not believe me either?" Like Dera, I tilted my head to the side, eyeing him a little sadly, awaiting his next, possibly negative response-- "Or do you suspect me to be a spy too?" Like Bianchi, and like Iemitsu...
Ah-
Now that I think about it,
Is there even anyone that truly, truly, trusts in everything I do?
-
-
"Hey, Takeshi,"
Leaning my forehead into the cold, cold glass, I looked through the glass windows of the ICU, towards the weak, weak figure of my childhood friend--
Do you not trust me, either?
That was a stupid thing to ask.
I cast doubts in many people's hearts. I keep secrets to myself, and lie in every occasion I can get. I act my way out of things, and hide from questions like a coward.
In that way-- How different am I from an irritating parasite?
"I wanna talk to you, Takeshi," I whispered to myself, clenching my uninjured fist, "I wanna talk to you so badly now."
-
-
"Reborn, how did you get my number?" I answered the phone quickly, worried that I'd be yelled at in the occasion I answered to late.
"I just have it," was his nonchalant response. "Regardless, we need you to--"
"Sorry, Reborn!" I interrupted him, raising my voice, "I can't."
It seemed I was on speaker, because I heard Gokudera interject rudely, "What?!" and "Listen here, Green-"
Carefully pulling my wristband out of my injured arm, I pulled it over the sink and turned the tap on to wash off the blood that stained it before.
"You probably want to ask me the reasons behind the Sin and the Penalty and whatever blood thing, right?" I sighed, "It's not something that should ever come from my mouth."
"Oy, Ninomiya, don't tell me you-" Ryohei's voice spoke up really quickly and abruptly, but died out as he hesitated at the last second.
"Rei-san, did you know all this while?" Tsuna spoke over him, a little agitation in his tone. "That Enma-kun and the rest were--"
I was silent, and so were they.
I choose my words slowly and carefully, "Sometimes, you see," while speaking, I slipped the soaked wristband carefully through my hand again, stretching it out so it wouldn't touch the bandages. "Sometimes, the future needs to play."
"Rei, you knew?" Tsuna was exasperated, "that this would happen, who we would face? And-- and who attacked Yamamoto?"
My senses flaring up in annoyance, I just snapped in frustration. "I'm sure Luche-san was faced with countless decisions such as these as well, y'know?" I questioned with hostility, "What happens has to happen for a reason!"
"Stop right there, Rei," Reborn raised his voice at me, obviously angered by that one person I should have never mentioned. "What are you trying to prove with that statement?"
I sucked in a breath. In an instant it all came back to me, and I realized that was definitely the wrong thing to say. Even though I was trying to choose my words as carefully as I could, I managed to say the things that were most definitely wrong.
All because I'm so stupid and-
"Sorry." I could only muster at this point. Clutching my injured fist and feelign the pain shoot up, I bit back a cry,bit my lips down, held my breath in and quiet-- "I gotta go."
"Rei!!"
-
Hanging up at the next moment, I turned my phone silent and hastily tucked them away, under my folded covers so I didn't have to hold onto it any more.
Fitting my Void Ring back onto my finger-- I had taken it off as I was getting bandaged-- I pecked the thin metal band softly.
"Please watch over me, brothers." I whispered meaningfully.
Please tell me I'm still doing the best I can in this world.
Please tell me I'm still alright like this.
My other fingers were empty. I had no other rings. Which meant I had no other responsibilities at this point. I'm not tied to anything or anyone now, aside from the Void. The Varia are yet to rule over my freedom, nor are the Vongola entitled to me much more than shaky membership.
Throwing on my jacket and pulling my arms through the sleeves, I opened the drawers of my bedstand. Picking up a bright red gem necklace, I slung it over my head to around my neck, then tucked it under my shirt.
Placing my hand on my chest, right at the gem-- I breathed slowly. I felt my tensed shoulders loosen, my expressions softened, and my heartbeat settled to a calmer rhythm, a gentler staccato.
Turning around, I decided to finally face the boy that had entered my room.
"Thanks for waiting." I told him, forcing a smile onto my face. I wasn't wary around this person, but really, I should be. "You're surprisingly reasonable for someone that came to kidnap me."
"Yeah..." Enma mumbled, standing up from the bed and making his way to the door. "We'd better hurry, though. Adel's gonna be angry."