I slowly opened my eyes, blinking several times to sharpen the blurriness. A white ceiling greeted me. I glanced around to take in the pristine, white, and grey room. The smell of disinfect invaded my nostrils. A monitor beeping, measuring the rhythm and rate of my heart. An IV drip connected to my hand stood besides my bedpost.
A person sat besides my bed. She has her head on my bed while she clenched on my hand. Chestnut-orange strands sprawled on her head. I brushed the stray hairs away from her face.
Mama, I thought. Seeing the black bags under her eyes and tears strained on her cheeks, she have cried and lacked sleep when I was unconscious.
I tried to sat up, but my leg felt struck and wrapped in a tight cloth. Curious, I pulled the covers off my legs. White bandages encased around my right thigh and knee.
I resumed my lying position and just stared at blank space. Pictures came into my head like in the theater.
Gunshots rang-
Aunt Akira's screams-
Shot in the thigh-
Enma being thrown one side-
Mami's tears-stricken eyes-
Daemon's sickening smile and laugh-
My fingers curled up and crumbled the clean, white sheets over my body. Having seen blood spilled clenched my stomach..
I knew about this and yet I did nothing to stop it. Was it because it was part of the story? It was but seeing a child died was not a pleasant sight. This is not a story but the reality I am facing.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. An image of Mami's body caked in blood flashed. I gasped a sharp intake of air and jolted up. Every time I tried to block it, the blood and her corpse laid on the ground appeared stronger.
Somewhere deep inside me twinged a piece of guilt. Guilt of not stopping Daemon from murdering them. Even if this small body tried to stop him, he was still stronger than me. Living more than a hundreds of years in the mafia granted more experiences than my seven years of playing around.
The door slide open. I snapped my eyes to it, to see Father stood with a grim face. The expression brightened when he saw me wide awake.
"Chi-chan," he spoke softly, as Mother was sleeping.
He walked over to me. His hand caressed Mother's tresses as he sat on my bed. He reached up and ruffled my hair.
"How...are you feeling?" Father asked, a vague strain in his voice. He knew what had happened. I did not respond. I averted my eyes to my lap, finding it interesting. Father noticed this and bend his back to look at me. His blue eyes blazed like sapphires.
"Chi-chan...?"
All of those killings caused by a greedy man, I hate it, I wanted to wash away those images. Mami lived five years, more than half of my former age. Her future cut short by a gunshot. Five years' time I watched over her since she was an infant.
I loved her and acted as an older sister to her. On weekends, I would meet at the Kozato's house. We played, laughed, argued. I felt like Lil' Nugget was with me. I made up stories from my past life and she would listen with deep interest. Whenever I come over, she would beg me to tell her more. Everything was same but she was not here.
It was as if someone took away a piece of my heart.
I shuffled towards Father and wrapped my arms; my small form fit against his board torso like a puzzle. His strong arms enveloped me in a protective cage. His warmth bought comfort in my heart. I listened to his heartbeat, lulling me. A tear rolled down my cheek.
That night will forever be etched in my dreams.
| ... |
The gunshot punctured the main artery and dug deep in my tissues. Doctor fixed the artery and restored the blood circulation in my left thigh. He told Father my body almost undergo progressive shock due to a large amount of blood lost, any longer my brain would be deprived of oxygen soon. Muscle damage was severe that it need three to six weeks of recovery. Physical therapy will be added the next four to six weeks to return strength and flexibility.
Since I was quite young, the recovery progress may varied as my body healed faster.
Relief washed Mother's tiredness. Needless, I was fine and alive. She prayed a fast recovery for me and hoped I could walk again. Her skin color slowly returned to normal. Mother often visited me and gave me snacks to eat. I ate them as I was dying of boredom in the plain room.
Father seldom visited as he has some work to do. He avoided the topic of the Kozatos, knowing how close we were to them.
Police came and interrogated me on the deaths of the Kozato's family. Hospitals set a rule when someone received a gunshot, the police will be notified. I answered the best I could as a seven year old. I did not like to talk about them as it throbbed my heart.
I feigned sadness and wailed loudly. The policemen freaked out. The nurse came in and immediately forced them to leave the hospital because they caused 'disturbance' to patients.
I wanted some time alone in silence. No more deaths, no more Daemon, no more blood.
I felt jittery. I wanted to move. Maybe a walk can ease me. I tried to stand up-I forgot that one of my leg was injured. I pressed the call button for assistance, soon a nurse entered the room.
"Do you need to go to the toilet?" she asked.
"No, but can I go outside for a stroll?" I answered and she blinked.
"You may, however, someone needs to accompany you," she said and I grumbled in my head. I hate how people treated me like a child. What should I say? Nurse, I am actually 18 years old, not your typical seven year old. Because some spirit made me shrunk and put me inside another body. Now, I am struck in this anime and saw blood spilled. Got a serious injury by a first gunshot. Retarded Melon said something about me being 'not worth it to be dead yet and interesting to see me grow up' which I don't freaking understand.
I don't even know why am I so worked up. I was meant to be dead. I made the choice to save Dan and sacrificed mine in exchange. Why can't I just pass on? I am practically a mob or someone who should not be in the story. Who gave them the right to made me live again? I just saw someone died. I would rather let myself take the shot. I do not belong here.
I kept silent as she pushed me in a wheelchair. We wandered around the premises, looking at the grey and white of the building, the scenery, and the people roaming. It was almost eight in the evening. People preparing to head back home as visiting hours came to an end.
I sat on the chair, misery clouded me.
That spirit made me reincarnated. It did not give me any answers to why. Though I think it might be because I broke the statue of it, disturbing its slumber. Most of this caused by my accidental fall that I suffered from b****y karma.
A sudden flashback of Daemon's words, "You look like her." Who is she? Someone he knew? Asking pointless questions would not give me answers.
Strangely, when he choked me, I felt myself drifted away from the reality. I remembered being cold and terrified when he pointed his gun at me. Afterwards, my brain blanked out. I snapped back when I hit the hard floor and Daemon held a broken wrist. How did it get broken?
His only opponents were a bunch of kids. Enma and I neither have any experience in flames nor combat skills. Speaking of flames, my eyes may be playing tricks on me. I looked at an elderly man seated on a bench, reading a newspaper. Small spikes of green flailed around his core. A woman and a child, holding hands, shimmers of blue, similar to rippling waters, swirled around them.
Flames were not shown until the Future Arc. I felt like I cheated in the anime. Very few individuals have this ability of seeing the flame auras. Maybe I was just tired.
I wonder where Enma was. He lost his family in one day. For a small boy, he can developed PTSD. I wanted to be there to lend a shoulder. To carry half of his burdens.
Here I am locked in this dreaded prison for a week. Hospital food tasted bland and I missed home-cooked food. I craved for potato chips or Pocky. The hospital's brownies were stale and lacked depth. Ugh.
Rolling back into my designated room, I asked the nurse, "Um, Missy...Can I ask you a question?"
She nodded her head as a reply. "Eto...Is there anyone named Kozato Enma in the hospital?" I asked. She rose an eyebrow and thought of the name.
"Oh that boy, he is currently resting in another room."
Hope blossomed in my chest. I could see him again. No, I wanted to see him now.
"Can I see him?" my heart deflated when she shook her head.
"You cannot...He needs some time alone. You can visit him another time," she carried me off the wheelchair and placed me on the bed.
"But...I want to see him now. He might be sad and crying ever since...they left this world," I looked down at my white hospital gown. I really wanted to go to Enma. He lost his family at a young age. He needed someone to by his side to help him.
The nurse looked sadly. She understood the pain of losing a loved one. She has seen numerous people sunk into grief after they heard their loved ones died. She felt this child was mature as she did not break down after the terrifying incident. Instead the child thought of her friend first before her.
"Tomorrow, you may visit him," she tried to coax.
"But En-chan-I want to see him! He might be crying! I don't want him to suffer alone! I beg you!" I argued back. I was sick and tired of waiting. I did not care if I threw a tantrum. All I want was to be with him.
The nurse looked taken aback by my outburst. She thought for a second before she sighed. She finally gave in and plopped me back into the wheelchair.
We moved through a hallway before rounding a corner. Doors passed by us until we reached to a stop.
She opened the door and walked inside without consent. A fluff of red head poked out from the blankets. Red eyes peeked under the covers. Those puffy eyes cried for days and nights, moaning for his dead family.
"En-chan...," my arms automatically reached out to him. A tiny spark lit his eyes as he slowly sat up.
"Chi-chan...," tears glistened his eyes. The nurse gently placed me on the bed. In a span of seconds, I embraced Enma. My heart weighed heavy in my chest. Sobs filled the room, Enma buried his face on the nook of my neck. I did not let go of him.
We were an emotional mess. I spent the whole night with him. Neither of us released our arms.
Cry out, Enma. You will never be alone in this.
| ... |
Yuto leaned back on a bench with his arms spread on top of the railing. His head tilted up at the sky. The usual charming smile and bright eyes was not plastered on his face. His eyes were dull as a dead fish. His lips pursed thin. His clothes have bits of dirt and torn fabric His face shown no emotion. He sat there, unmoving, staring in space.
Darkness covered the park in a blanket. The green plants colored charcoal and the grey path melted into the night. The only light source was the lamplight besides the bench. His eyes moved to the side when his ears picked up the faint taps of heels.
A figure could be seen in the shadows. Under the street lamplight illuminated their true form, Yuto gazed at them under his eyelids. He sighed as his head hung upside down from the railing.
"What do you want?"
"You know what is happening," a gruff voice replied. Yuto groaned, a headache coming in his head. He threw his head back straight. His eyes bored as if he heard the same thing over again.
"I do not want to be part of your business. I have no interest in doing those dirty works. Just go home," Yuto covered his mouth as he yawned. He wanted to go home and sleep with his wife. Maybe tomorrow visit his daughter. His work consumed most of his time that he have less time to spend with his family. He wanted to check on his family at least once.
"I am not here to ask you on a mission. I am currently investigating a case. I needed evidence to obtain a concrete truth."
"What case? I do not have anything to share."
"About Kozato Makoto."
His eyes snapped wide. Most of the drowsiness cleared from his face. His attention fully captured at the mention of his friend's name.
"Well, I guess this case is about the mysterious shooting into allied families' houses and the 'Flood of Blood'," Yuto stated, his eyes locked eye contact with amber-brown eyes. "You wanted to know whether he is the culprit."
"I found the house to be trashed and traces of blood on the floor and walls." The man asked.
"They were murdered." The man peaked up. "What?! Then why was his gun found in the scene?"
"Chill, young lion, I do not know how his gun got there. I heard from him that he lost his gun."
The atmosphere shifted. Iemitsu lost his voice as his mind pieced the puzzle.
"So, that means Kozato Makoto was not the one?! Who is it then? Why did they stole his gun?" he fired questions at the white blonde man. He needed to report to the Ninth about this.
"I am clueless too. When I went to his house, the killer had fled already. The latter I know nothing," Yuto stood up and stretched his limbs. "These are my answers. I am beat. Good luck on the case."
"Wait," Yuto stopped as they stood shoulder to shoulder. Yuto grumbled and furrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Why did you left the mafia?" there was a pause for a moment after Iemitsu asked him. Yuto looked away, his eyes stared at the front.
"Why do you care?"
"No one disappears then reappears after seven years, you know," Iemitsu chimed. He was curious as the man kept hiding secrets in the dark.
"I got something to protect."
"Is that why there are men laying on the ground?"
A few paces from them, three unconscious men laid on the ground. You could not tell if they were breathing or not.
"They are pests needed to be erased," Yuto kept his back to him. "Is that why you also come to me to ask pointless questions?"
"As expected from a former assassin, I am just nosy to know why you resided in Japan."
"I am not going to stay here any longer. I will be going to another country."
"Hm? Which country?"
"I am leaving now," Yuto walked off, not bothered to answer.
Iemitsu stared at his retreating form. Unaware, a white card dropped from Yuto's jacket. His eyes wandered to the fallen card and wondered what was it. He picked it up and saw a little girl who looked similar to Yuto.
"Oi, Yuto, you dropped something. It has a little girl-" the picture was swiftly snatched from his hands. Yuto loomed over the blonde-haired male. His eyes shadowed as he glared down at Iemitsu.
"Er...," Iemitsu itched away from the man who was emitting dark waves. His aura screamed danger to him. The blonde man sweatdropped from the sudden change of his behavior.
"Ahaha, that's quite a cute girl. Who is she? She looks like you," then everything clicked.
"Wait, you have a DAUGHTER?!" Iemitsu yelled. He shook his head in disbelief.
" Who has the guts to marry you and make a child with you?! When did you have a child?!"
An irk mark formed on his head, Yuto was about to snap at him but got interrupted.
"OH! So that's why you disappeared because you are taking care of your daughter!"
Teeth gritted against each other.
"Wow, pal. You are a father! Just like me! I have a son as young as her. How about we let them have a playdate?"
Wrong. The word 'date' triggered his fatherly senses. Yuto pulled his fist back and hit the man square in the face. Iemitsu flew in the air before he landed roughly.
"Over my dead body!" Yuto screamed. "I am out of here already. Don't show your face around, dickhead!"
And he left.
Iemitsu moaned, the punch packed quite damage. His nose throbbed and a warm liquid ran down from his nostrils. He touched his face but retracted his hand as the pain intensified.
He chuckled. "He has changed."
| ... |
Hey guys....Sorry for the late update. I have projects to be submitted. The week was becoming busier as my exams are coming up. Before my exams start, I will publish a chapter next week and be off for two weeks to focus all my energy on my studies. I needed to focus or else I have to repeat the subjects for this semester in another semester.
Thank you for reading my story<3
If there are any mistakes, please comment down.