"I seriously don't need you guys to be here every day," I sighed at Kenny, who was sitting at Pops' counter.
"Too bad, kid." He said as he kept flipping through the magazine. "Until you're fully healed, this is where I'll be, 'kay?" He looked over at me. Shaking my head, I went back to the kitchen to bake more. Eventually, it was time for me to go. Rio and Kei picked me up, Kenny stayed with Pops. We were almost to my house when they started in on me.
"So," Rio said, smiling. "Are you gonna tell us today?" I glared at him, making him flinch.
"I already said nothing happened," It's been almost a week since I was left to the Devil. "And even if something did happen, I wouldn't tell you anyway."
"So something did happen!" Kei laughed at me, earning a gentle shove. "Did he kiss you? Did you let the poor man at least kiss you?"
"No," I growled and opened the door to my house. They left me alone, so I could shower and take the medicine the Devil got me. They helped me manage the pain and ensured I wouldn't get an infection from the wound. We were watching Tv and eating ice cream when we heard the door open. When we looked, it was my brother. We all went back to the show.
"Hey, sh**heads." Kenny's voice boomed, making me cough on the ice cream. "My bad," He laughed and sat in the recliner. It's become a thing where Kenny has been staying here with us to make sure I'm okay and that I take the medicine. I think it's because he and Chance like each other, but I'll never know. The strong scent of familiar cologne made me pause eating my ice cream. Why is he here? They're going to question him. Oh, god.
"We'll be in the kitchen," Chance said as he passed through the living room with the Devil in tow. I held the spoon on my lower lip, and my eyes followed him as he walked. He smirked before going into the kitchen, making me aware that he saw me staring.
"Why's your face red?" Rio asked, unaware of what happened. "Do you have a fev-"
"Shut. Up." I whined and sank in my seat. Eventually, we got consumed in a different show. I was leaning against Kei, almost falling asleep. He noticed and moved so I could lay against his chest.
"Do you want to go to bed?" He asked and looked down at me. I whined, and he stayed put. I'm not sure how long I was asleep for, but I was woken up to the sound of Kenny laughing in the kitchen. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "You were only out for a half-hour," Kei said as he pushed the hair from my face. I sniffled as I stood up and made my way to the kitchen where Kenny and Chance were messing around. They all looked over at me, and I watched the Devil look away quickly for some reason.
"Did Ken wake you up?" Chance asked. I nodded at him and squinted my eyes.
"My bad," Kenny said with a huff before he sat down. I opened the freezer and grabbed ice cream. "Another thing of ice cream?" Kenny said as if I'd eaten a whole grocery store out of their ice cream.
"Yes, Kenny. I like it because Kei's mom makes it with love for me. She also uses good ingredients that make it taste the best." I said as I grabbed a spoon. "Also," I turned to look at him and waved my fist at him. "Stop fat-shaming me, you egg-head. If I want ice cream for all three meals, that's what I'll have. Just because you're mooching off my brother and me doesn't mean you get to be mean." He let out a genuine laugh, making me smile. "I'll make you cook dinner tomorrow instead, then be embarrassed when we order out because you suck at it."
"That was a low blow," He said, giving me a look. I smirked and went to leave. "Wait, wait." He stopped me. "Say it," He gave me an 'I dare you' look.
"She's thinking," Rio entered for a second. "The only kind of blows you get are from Chance." With that, Chance turned to me with a chilling look.
"I didn't say it!" I laughed, staring at him.
"Hey," Rio defended himself. "You've said worse in the last week. You said that it was concerning as to why so much Olive Oil went missing this week." I gave him a look, making him smirk. I heard both Chance and Kenny get up angrily, making Rio and I run out of the kitchen. I hid behind Kei, who was laughing on the couch from Rio yelling at them. The two gave up, and we were left to the show. Eventually, I had to take care of my spoon and container, but I was scared.
"I never said anything about the Olive Oil." I glared at Rio, who snorted. "I don't even understand what it would be for." He looked at me, concerned.
"So Kenny's d*** can go into Chance's-" We all looked over when we heard Chance clear his throat.
"We can hear you, you little a**holes," Kenny yelled from the kitchen.
"I bet Chance's a**hole isn't little anym-" Rio tried to run away when he saw Chance go to grab him. Kei started laughing at Chance and Rio wrestling. Chance managed to pin Rio, and it looked painful for Rio. "Ow, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Stop, my d***," He whined, making me laugh. When Chance let go, Rio huffed. "Kenny, is that what you tell him? Maybe Kenny's the bottom." Chance turned back to Rio, but Kenny came into the room and went for Rio.
"You little sh**." Kenny growled at Rio as he pinned him the same way Chance did.
"Why do you both know how to pin a man the same way?" Kei asked, earning a look from Kenny and Chance.
"He got you good!" Rio laughed, but shut up when Kenny applied pressure. Kei let out a cry when Chance grabbed him. Shaking my head, I turned and took care of my spoon and container. I listened to the four of them argue with each other. Kei and Rio were making many comments, and Chance and Kenny were getting worked up. I grabbed a water from the fridge, then took another. Being the nice person I am, I offered one to the Devil, to gauge the situation. He took the water slightly shocked. The four of the boys were noisy, drowning out the sound of the Devil talking softly.
"Thank you," He nodded once, smiling as he shifted. I watched him as he tugged my sleeve to bring me closer to him. I gripped the water bottle as I felt heat flush to my face. I watched as he used his thumb to wipe something off my face. "Ice cream," He said gently before going to wipe it on his nice pants. I grabbed his wrist, stopping his movement. Before I used brain power, I sucked the chocolate from his finger. Once I realized what I had done, I let him go and backed away in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry," I whimpered before leaving the kitchen and making my way to my room. Eventually, Kei and Rio came into my room to go to sleep. I was laying on my bed, still in shock of what I had just done to the Devil. I'm never going to live this down. I didn't want any of Kei's mom's ice cream to be wasted. I don't understand what this weird feeling is. I've never felt it before.
"Hey, sh**heads!" Kenny's voice made all three of us jump. I don't remember falling asleep last night, but here we are. "You all have to go somewhere tonight." He crossed his arms.
"I didn't realize you and Chance were so serious," Rio said with a huff. Kenny threw a water bottle at Rio before speaking.
"No," He rolled his eyes. "You have to go with all of us somewhere. Bossman requested it, and so did Chance." He seemed confused as to why Chance would request it.
"Akira will have a nervous breakdown, Ken," Kei said, shaking his head.
"Sucks to suck," Kenny shrugged. "You can all dress in your normal teenager clothes. Just make sure you keep your mouths shut unless spoken to. I don't understand why they want you all there; it's not a place for people, especially women."
Tell me why I'm in a car going to an undisclosed location with strangers. Kei and Rio were on alert as they were dragged along too. They poked fun at Kenny the entire drive, understanding that Kenny couldn't hit them from his seat. When he parked the car, immediate panic started.
"Listen, seriously," He turned at gave us a scary look, making me grip Kei's arm. "These aren't nice people. You're all safe; Bossman won't let anyone hurt you guys. Even still, do not speak unless spoken to. Do not stare at anyone. Even if someone pi**es you all off, do not speak." We nodded at him; he was serious. "We're all different when we're around people like this. So Akira," He looked at me. "Don't take offense if Chance, Bossman, or myself seem unwanting of you. We don't want to make a weakness be shown; it's for safety." I nodded once at Kenny.
I gripped Kei's sleeve as if my life depended on it. We walked into a very nice house; it was huge. It couldn't be the Devils; I feel like this isn't his style of house. Kenny made us enter a room with some people in it. All eyes immediately fell on us three. Panic started to grow inside me, making my grip tighten to the point where my knuckles were completely white. I felt Kei move my hand from him, making me glance up at him. He seemed to be making eye contact with... Chance. Maybe I can't act as if I'm that scared. I stood with my back to a wall, Kei, and Rio, on either side of me. I tried to calm myself by looking at the room details, how many people, how many tiles, overall, counting and observing as voiced echoed around me. Something out the window caught my attention; something was reflecting off the sun. I saw that it was a spindle in a garden outside the window.
"Is there something interesting out the window?" A man's voice vibrated the room, making me flinch. His voice was close to me, making me aware of everyone's placement in the room. When I felt sudden heat near my hair, I stopped the hand and shoved the person away from me. When I faced the person, I quickly realized I had shoved someone on the floor. "Quick reflexes," He watched me carefully. "Subconsciously aware," He acted as though I was some type of fine china. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, waiting for him to react.
"Please don't touch me, sir," I said quietly, watching him carefully. An interesting look crossed his face. Please don't be interest; I don't need another person pursuing me. When a person came to my right, my body moved as if it was muscle memory from sparring at the gym. After deflecting, I sent a hit to the ribs, forcing the person to cough and waver, giving me time to get them pinned by using their arm as leverage. When I let them go, they collapsed to the floor in pain. I could feel myself getting irritated, and when that happens, I'm too bold. "Don't be disrespectful. I asked politely the first time," I ground my teeth, glaring at the man I hit.
"Where did you learn to fight?" Why does it always have to be men? I ground my teeth as I ignored the question. "I asked you a question, girl." My eyes landed on the person asking the question; I watched as he slightly flinched at my gaze. Checkmate.
"I'm not obligated to acknowledge anyone's questions." He sat back in his seat, eyeing me. My entire body felt disgusting from all of their eyes. They're dirty old men who step over others to ensure they're successful. I have no respect for those kinds of people, can they even be counted as such?
"Your disgust for us is showing," He said smartly, making me cock my head at him.
"As is your arrogance, sir." His mouth fell open in shock at me. I already stepped over my boundary. I was told to be silent, but I hate people like that. Those who feel as though they're superior are useless. They benefit no one in society; the only thing they do is bring others together with mutual hatred and disgust for that person.
"Redirecting the topic at hand," A man's strong voice cut through the tension. My eyes immediately fell on who it was. I ignored what else was being said as I observed the man. The look in his eyes felt so familiar. The structure of his face and the shape of his body made me think of who he could be related to. The way he held himself and acted in front of other men made me shiver inside. It seemed as though he commanded the room, as though he was the single man who ruled over all others. He was the man to be afraid of, but I wasn't. It's as though his features reminded me of calm and safety. My eyes widened at the discovery I had made, making me look at my shoes in shock. Did I just make myself look like a fool in front of the one person that I wanted to have a rapport with? I sat on the windowsill, my arms crossed, my eyes on the floor. I didn't even think about others having a family, having parents. My world has always been so small that I often forget that others have lives outside of how I know them.
"Listen here, you little s***," A voice snapped me from my thoughts, only to observe a man gripping onto Rio's shirt, yelling in his face. "Who the H*** do you think you are? Talking to a man like me in such a way is punishable b-" Anger once again flooded every cell in my body. Rio and Kei were instructed not to fight back, but I'm a brat so I can do as I please.
"Geezer!" Came tumbling from my mouth before I realized I had actually yelled for the first time. The room stilled, the man's grip loosened slightly as he looked at me now with a fiery gaze. "I suggest you remove contact before I take your hands and then your head." I grit through my teeth, shocking even myself. He started to make his way to me when I met him the rest of the distance, shocking him. "You have no right to touch what does not belong to you." He looked down at me, not knowing how to react. He watched me carefully, making me even angrier. I closed the rest of the distance, feeling his breath fan my face. He watched me with wide eyes. "Take your f***ing seat," I spoke very slowly and almost growled out at him. I watched him hesitate at first but took his seat once again. My eyes burned into him as I watched his movements. I watched each person for the rest of the time, carefully. I studied mannerisms, breathing patterns, eye movements, anything to let me understand this situation and why I was told I needed to attend this useless get-together.
"Hey," Chance's voice brought me from my thoughts. When I looked at him, he seemed to be waiting patiently for something. Looking around, I realized everyone left except my crew and the man who I wanted to meet under different circumstances. "That was intense," He waited for me to speak. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen your eyes look so scary."
"I have a feeling it won't be the last," I muttered, looking to my left. Kei and Rio were with Kenny. He seemed to be checking on the two. "Sorry, I didn't listen." Chance snorted at me, earning my gaze.
"We figured if someone were going to rile you up, it would end beautifully. You asserted dominance over a group of men who are among the most terrifying. A small girl like yourself obliterated a group of men in a matter of two hours. You have respect among those men." He smiled gently at me.
"They mean nothing to me," I stood up and stretched. "I'll always protect my own." He ruffled my hair, making me shove him.
"Miss Akira," My body stilled. "I'm glad I got to see you at your prime," He smiled at me. "I refuse to admit this to anyone, but I was slightly scared of what you would do to that man." He stuck his hand out to me, to shake. I stared at it, contemplating. This is basically like I'm meeting the Devil's parents. This closes the deal. This shows that there will be a result. Sighing, I shook his hand.
This is the beginning of the end.