Side Story - Kazuya and Shiori (5)

When I came to, I found myself in a dark place.

I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes with the darkness. After a moment, I started seeing the rough outline of my surroundings. It seemed like I was in an abandoned warehouse, since the room was spacious and yet strangely empty. The ground was covered in thick dust, causing me to cough when I moved a bit.

“Ah, she’s finally awake.”

I whipped my head around when I heard that voice. It was the same voice as the man that ambushed me earlier, but I could only see his silhouette. The next second, a bright light filled the room. I grimaced and reflexively tried to cover my eyes, but my hands were being tied to some kind of pillar behind my back.

When my eyes got used to the light, I saw the four men that kidnapped me and another man that I didn’t recognize. Based on his neat black suit, he looked like a higher-ranking executive.

“I trust there’s no problem bringing her here?” The man in suit asked the other four as he approached me.

“Yeah, of course, Kikuchi-san. It’s as easy as taking a candy from baby.” Yagi boasted proudly.

“And what about the witnesses?” Kikuchi glanced at Yagi. “Have you gotten rid of them?”

At that question, Yagi stiffened. “Ah…y-yeah…of-of course…” He stammered with completely opposite vigor of his previous answer.

Kikuchi halted his steps and turned to glare at Yagi. “Are you saying that you let the witnesses escape?” His tone was reminiscent of frigid winter.

“Uh…well…that’s…” Yagi averted his eyes. “I-It’s only two kids, so there should be no problem…”

BANG!

Everyone was shocked into silence as a bullet skimmed past Yagi’s cheek and buried itself in the ground.

“‘Only two kids’ you said?” Kikuchi nearly growled. “Those brats could’ve gone to the police, and your lives would be over by then. Don’t you know how the head treated those who attract the police’s attention?!”

“M-M-My deepest apologies, Kikuchi-sama!” Yagi and his henchmen quickly prostrated themselves. “W-We’ll go and deal with them immediately, so…!”

“No!!!” Before realizing it, I’d already shouted out loud.

All of them turned to look at me. I was still not used to such malicious and hostile gazes, but I held myself together.

Ignoring my trembling body, I shouted again, “I’ve told you before, if you try to harm my friends, I’ll bite my tongue and kill myself—ack!”

Before I finished talking, Kikuchi suddenly walked over to me and grabbed my chin roughly.

“Go ahead and do it.” He said chillingly. “All I care about is for you to die, so feel free to help us with that.”

My voice died as I shrunk away from him. Kikuchi was completely different from the other four. He didn’t have a speck of conscience nor morality, which meant he wouldn’t hesitate to employ the most ruthless method just to get what he wanted. His cold indifference reminded me of Kazuya back when we first met.

“W-Why…” Those words unwittingly spilled from my mouth. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Why, you asked?” Kikuchi sneered at my question. “Didn’t you already know the answer, having wrapped Kagura Family’s young master around your finger?”

“I didn’t do that…!” I immediately refuted him.

“Then tell me, why did he come back injured and poisoned that time?” Kikuchi fired back just as quickly. His fingers dug painfully into my chin, subtly revealing the anger simmering beneath his indifferent expression.

I opened my mouth, but soon closed it again. Kazuya never told me why he got injured, however anyone could’ve guessed it easily. He, who never made a mistake worth scolding from his father, suddenly tripped up bad enough to get him hospitalized for a week. And it happened after he started opening up to me.

“He grew weak because of you.” Kikuchi spat out resentfully. “He used to be such a flawless killing machine, but now his sharpness had dulled. Just because of a single woman. If he had been that incompetent, it would’ve been better for him to die from the poison back then.”

“Take that back!!” I snapped at Kikuchi in anger.

The man was taken aback by my sudden outburst. Perhaps it was the first time his victim had talked back to him like this.

“Kazuya isn’t incompetent, nor does he deserve to die from a single mistake! He’s just a human like everybody else, so why do you keep burdening him with such ridiculous expectation?!”

Tears started forming in my eyes as I imagined how harsh Kazuya’s childhood must be if he had to go through this kind of pressure every single day.

“He’s not a human.” Unexpectedly, Kikuchi shrugged off my outburst with frightening ease. “He’s raised as the perfect killing machine, so of course no mistake is allowed for him.”

I stared at him wide-eyed, wondering if we were really the same human being. It made me understand what Kazuya meant by living in different worlds. Our values were so far apart that it was almost impossible for me to understand, even less accept it.

“I’ve wasted enough time here.” Kikuchi let go of my chin and turned away. “By erasing you, the young master will return to be the flawless killing machine that he was raised to be. So be at ease that your death won’t be in vain.”

Then Kikuchi turned toward Yagi and the other men.

“Deal with her.”

Those were his harsh parting words as he left the dusty warehouse behind.

*****

I was still frozen stiff from Kikuchi’s heartless remarks when a hand grabbed my school blazer and started undoing its button. I snapped into attention and realized that I was surrounded by those four men.

“S-Stop it! What are you doing?!” I struggled to get away from them, but being tied to the pillar meant that I couldn’t move an inch.

“It’s nothing personal, but our order is to ‘humiliate and make you suffer in pain’ before killing you, so…” Yagi shrugged. “Besides, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a young, beautiful high school girl like you?”

I gritted my teeth and forced my brain to think while enduring the nauseating experience of being groped all over. My hands furiously tugged on the rope binding me, when it suddenly grew loose.

“A chance!” I quickly untied my hand as I waited for the opportunity to escape.

Such chance came when Yagi positioned himself right in front of me, struggling to unzip his pants. I swung my leg as hard as I could, kicking him right in the balls.

“—!!!”

Yagi was in so much pain that he instantly fainted.

Without wasting another second, I jumped to my feet and raced to the door that Kikuchi used to leave the warehouse. The other men shouted angrily and gave chase, but I was faster than them.

“I can do this…!” My hopes grew as the door was just within my reach.

I grabbed the rusty handle and yanked it open—

—except that it didn’t budge.

“Why…?!”

As I repeatedly tried the handle, unable to think of something else, the rest of the men had caught up to me. I glanced behind my shoulder and promptly gave up on the door. I ran toward the other side of the warehouse, keeping distance from my pursuers lest I ended up as trapped as the mouse in the cat-and-mouse game.

I saw the lamp providing light for the dark warehouse and an idea popped in my head. If I disabled it, the warehouse would be plunged in the dark for a moment, giving me time to force my way out of the warehouse in some other way. I changed direction and rushed to the lamp.

Just before I reached it, something whistled through the air.

Stab!

“Ahh!!” A searing pain shot through my leg and I crashed to the floor, bruising and scraping myself in the process.

When I looked at my leg, I saw a knife had embedded itself on my thigh. One of the men must’ve thrown it, desperate to stop me. I steeled myself and pulled out the knife, yelping in pain all the while. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to take another step anywhere, for the men had caught me again.

“Got you, you little bitch!”

“Ugh!” I groaned as I was pinned to the ground.

“Alright, this bitch is definitely too wild to be played with! Let’s just skip past the humiliation and make her suffer painfully instead!” The man who pinned me down remarked.

He took out another knife while his two partners helped restrain my arms and legs. Without any hesitation, the man plunged his second knife to my stomach.

“AGHHH!!!” I screamed in pain and shock.

It wasn’t as painful as the wound on my leg, but seeing the knife buried to its hilt in my stomach was horrifying. I bit my lips, willing myself to stay conscious despite the pain and terror. If I passed out now, I was sure I would never open my eyes again.

“Let’s see how long it will take for her to bleed to death, huh?!” The man cackled gleefully, his twisted laughter echoed by his two partners.

“Shall we pull out all of her nails next?” The man restraining my legs suggested. “We can give it to the young master later as a memento of his bitch!”

“Hahaha! Great idea! Get me the pliers and—”

BANG!

The man never got to finish his sentence as he slowly tilted sideway until his body collapsed to the floor as a corpse.

“What—?”

BANG! BANG!

With two more gunshots, the other men followed their partner’s footsteps as they all left for the afterlife.

“Ugh…” I slowly turned my head to take a look, grimacing in pain from my wounds. “What happened…?”

“Shiori!!!”

Hearing that familiar voice was enough to melt all of my tension and anxiety. My eyes spotted him, who was walking as fast as he could toward me while dragging one foot.

“Kazu…ya…” Before I knew it, I already burst out in tears when I saw him.

Despite his bloody and ragged appearance, simply seeing Kazuya was enough to comfort me. His presence washed away my terror, allowing me to breathe more easily since the first time I opened my eyes in this warehouse.

“Shiori! Are you alright?! I’m sorry it took me so long to come and save you!” Kazuya finally reached my side. He meticulously inspected my wounds while apologizing non-stop.

I reached out to Kazuya and hugged him tightly, ensuring myself that he was real and I wasn’t simply imagining things. Once I felt his warmth, it was as if a damn had broken. I buried my face in his neck and bawled my eyes out, releasing all of the terror and despair that I felt throughout this incident.

Kazuya froze when I first started crying, then he slowly stroked my back. As he kept murmuring reassuring words, my crying finally subsided.

“…I’m really sorry.” Kazuya whispered bitterly when I drew away from him after my tears had dried up.

“I’m oka—no, I’m not really okay.” I smiled wryly when Kazuya glared at me. “But I’m really glad you came for me.”

Kazuya ducked his head, pretending to examine my stomach wound as he muttered, “Of course I’ll come to save you. We’ve made a promise, after all.”

My smile widened as I saw his embarrassed face. “Yeah…I believe in you, Kazuya-kun.” I said sincerely.

Kazuya looked away, hiding his furiously blushing face. “A-Anyway, I’ve called ambulance, so we’ll get you treated as soon as possible. I’d love to carry you to nearest hospital by myself, but…” He looked at his wounded leg bitterly. “I can barely walk on my own, so it’s impossible for me. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” I reached out and patted his dishevelled black hair. “Thank you for coming to save me, Kazuya-kun.” I smiled softly at him.

Despite my gratitude, Kazuya looked like he was about to cry instead. Before I could ask him why, the sound of ambulance siren broke the silence. In just a few moments, the medics had found us and shipped us to the nearest hospital.

*****

I walked slowly through the hospital’s hallway, my wounded leg was aided with a crutch. I stopped in front of the room with Shiori’s and my name written on the plate. As a patient myself, I was supposed to recuperate, but I had to deal with the medics and polices’ unending questions. They were understandably shocked to see two highschool kids in an abandoned warehouse, covered in injuries and surrounded by corpses.

Fortunately, I was able to wrap everything up by dropping the Kagura Family name. No matter how much I despised that name, it was still useful in this kind of situation. Not that I was planning on quietly go back home after this incident.

I let out a sigh and knocked briefly on the door before entering.

“Ah, Kazuya-kun! Welcome back! How is it?” Shiori’s cheerful voice immediately greeted me.

Going by her voice alone, it would be hard to believe that the girl was lying injured on the hospital bed. I looked toward Shiori and noticed the doctor’s presence beside her bed.

“I’m back. Are you being checked on?” I asked, limping toward her bed.

“Ah, we’re just about to discuss her check-up result.” The doctor explained as he kindly pulled a chair for me. “Is it alright for you if Kagura-san also hears about it, Kirigaya-san?” He asked for Shiori’s permission.

Shiori nodded lightly. “It’s okay, I don’t think it’s that bad, after all.”

The doctor’s face stiffened at her answer, but he quickly cleared his throat to cover his unnatural pause. “Then, I’ll start explaining.”

I sat next to Shiori’s bed and reached out to hold her hand. I’d say she got off lightly, compared to me who was covered in injuries from the fierce fighting. But then again, Shiori’s smooth, pale skin was scraped and bruised when she tried to escape. Seeing those bandages on her cheek, arms, and legs made my anger boil every time. I wanted to kill those bastards over and over again for putting her through all of this.

“Well, Kirigaya-san’s injuries aren’t life-threatening, to say the least. Her bruises and scrapes will heal given time, and so does the stab wound on her thigh. It may impair her movement for some time, but it won’t leave any permanent effect.” The doctor explained it as simple as possible.

I sighed in relief while Shiori beamed at me, as if telling me that I worried too much. In the first place, it was impossible for me not to worry when I was the one who dragged her into this mess. If I were to come a bit too late…I shuddered when I imagined what terrible things would happen to Shiori.

Unfortunately, I was rejoicing a bit too soon.

The doctor cleared his throat again, this time with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“But…regarding to the stab wound on her stomach…” The doctor paused, as if trying to find the right words to say.

I instinctively leaned closer toward the doctor. “What is it? Is there something wrong?” I urged him.

The doctor automatically shrank away from me, perhaps intimidated by my intensity. “W-Well…the knife…it isn’t a fatal wound, but…” He hesitated.

“Doctor, it’s alright.” Shiori squeezed my hand, telling me to tone down my intense glare. “Please tell me. I’m ready to hear it.” She encouraged the doctor.

“That’s…” The doctor let out the breath he had been holding back. “The knife has…punctured your womb. It will be…nearly impossible…for you to have children in the future. I’m so sorry.”

The doctor kept talking about some alternatives to help Shiori have children, but none of his words entered my ears. I stared at the floor blankly, my mind kept repeating the doctor’s words.

“It will be nearly impossible for you to have children in the future.”

I felt all of my relief and hope drained away from my body the moment I heard those words. I buried my face on my hands. It was my fault. Everything that happened was my fault. I should’ve kept my distance from her the moment I slipped up instead of indulging myself in her kindness. Because of my selfishness, I’ve hurt her beyond repair. I…

“Kazuya-kun!”

Shiori’s loud voice, as well as a strong tug on my wrist, interrupted my thoughts. I realized that the doctor had left, and Shiori had been calling my name since earlier. I slowly turned to look at her, while being half-scared of what I might saw on her face. Would Shiori resent me for causing her pain?

“I’m not angry.” As if she could read my mind, Shiori smiled gently and told me that. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault, Kazuya-kun.”

She reached out with her other hand and caressed my cheek.

“That’s why, please don’t wear such terrified look.”

“Ah…I…” I blinked, trying to sort out my chaotic mind. “I’m sorry—”

“No.” Shiori’s finger touched my lips, sealing it shut. “I don’t want you to apologize. Instead of apologizing for something that you didn’t do, won’t you tell me that I did great to survive?” She grinned at me.

I stared back at Shiori, searching her face intently for any signs of resentment or fear. But I found none. Despite going through hell, she still retained her gentle and pure heart.

I carefully removed Shiori’s finger and brought her hand to my forehead, as if I was a mere mortal begging for the goddess’ forgiveness.

“Thank you.” I said whole-heartedly. “Thank you for not giving up until the end. Thank you for staying alive. And…I’m sorry for putting you through this. I…”

Before I could finish my sentence, suddenly I was enveloped with soft and warm sensation. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was being hugged by Shiori.

“Kazuya-kun, I’ve told you that you can’t apologize, remember?” Shiori scolded me, her voice was infinitely closer to my ears than ever before. “And I’m glad I was able to hold on until you came for me. I didn’t want to imagine what you would do if I were to die before you could save me.”

I vividly felt Shiori’s body trembling in my arms as she imagined that nightmarish possibility.

“Compared to dying and leaving you all alone, not being able to have child is a small price to pay. Thank you, Kazuya-kun.” She hugged me a bit tighter, as if to convey her sincerity.

At her words, anxiety and tension finally left my body. It felt like I was being forgiven and given salvation despite my great sin.

“Shiori…” I closed my eyes, indulging myself in her warmth for just a few more seconds.

But in the end, I steeled myself and pushed her away.

“Shiori, I…”

“Kazuya-kun, won’t you run away with me?”

“…huh?” I was dumbstruck by her unexpected words.

Shiori smiled mischievously at me. “You’re going to say that you don’t want to put me in more danger, so you’ll disappear, right?”

I swallowed words of rebuttal that nearly left my mouth and averted my eyes. At this point, she knew me so well that it was almost scary.

“But I don’t want to live a life without you, Kazuya-kun.” Shiori’s smile vanished and she had a serious look. “That’s why, won’t you take me with you? Instead of running away by yourself, let’s run away together.”

“No, that’s…”

“Or do you actually not like me?” Shiori abruptly pulled away her hand from me. Her face was so full of sadness that my heart ached for her. “If it’s just my misunderstanding, then…”

“Of course I love you!” Despite knowing that she was only baiting me, I couldn’t bear to let even the idea linger in her mind. I reached out and grabbed her hand again. “I love you so much that I won’t mind destroying my own family just to keep you safe! But I can’t possibly take you with me!”

“Why?!” Shiori demanded with clear frustration. “If you love me, then…!”

“Then what about your family?”

At my unexpected words, Shiori fell silent.

“What about your friends? Kugisaki and Hagiwara? What about your future? Are you going to throw it all away just to live in hiding with me? Shiori, please think about it more calmly.” I pleaded with her. “I don’t want to rob you of the happiness that you will attain in the future. I don’t have the confidence to promise you that I’ll make you happy. It’s possible that we will face more hardships and pain in the future. If my family found me, it won’t end peacefully. Knowing all of those, will you still choose me?” I looked straight at Shiori as I asked.

In my mind, I could imagine Shiori graduating from high school, becoming a college student, before finally getting a job and meeting the love of her life. On her wedding day, she’d wear the most beautiful dress and be the happiest woman in the world. She’d live her life happily, surrounded by her family and friends.

My chest hurt at the thought that she’d marry another man, but at the same time, I knew that this was the right choice. Shiori deserved a man who could make her happy, not a man who could only bring her sadness and pain.

As our silence grew longer, I was sure that Shiori also had the same thought. She’d come to her senses and realized that I wasn’t the right person for her.

When Shiori finally raised her face, so full of determination, I felt dread settling in my stomach. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the rejection, when I felt something soft pressing my lips.

“…?!” I was so startled that I opened my eyes.

Taking advantage of my confusion, Shiori grabbed my shoulders and pressed my lips harder, as if trying to convey something.

“S-Shiori?! W-What…um…huh?” I gently pulled her away in a fluster.

“S-Sorry…I don’t really know how to do it properly…because it’s my first.” Shiori covered her lips with blushing face. “S-Since you’ve taken my first kiss, shouldn’t you take responsibility for me, Kazuya-kun?”

“Respon…what?!” I was once again dumbstruck. I really wanted to know what was going on inside her mind.

“As for my family and friends…you don’t have to worry about them.” Shiori smiled at me, but it was a different smile from usual. Contrary to her clear, sincere smile, this was the smile that hid her true feelings. “You see, Kazuya-kun…I never really had a parent.”

“…huh?!” I stared at her in shock.

“They left me behind in the countryside with my grandpa, while they were busy working in the city. They rarely came home to visit, even less calling me. For me, they’re more like strangers that paid Grandpa to raise me.”

Shiori cast her gaze down. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her bandages.

“I love my grandpa, but I also wanted my parent’s love. So I tried being a good child—no, I tried being the best daughter. I helped around the house, I did my homework and aced my tests perfectly, and I never once complained. I thought if I was a good girl, my parents would notice my existence and came home. But…they never did.”

A bitter smile hung on Shiori’s lips, painting her expression with glum and sadness.

“When my grandpa died, my parents finally called me to Tokyo to live with them. I thought this is my big chance, but I was mistaken once again. They barely came home, and I felt even more lonely than before. I was so tired of being lonely that I thought of ending everything…until I met you.”

At her last sentence, Shiori finally looked up. She smiled softly at me as she reminisced about our first encounter.

“Ah, there’s someone even more lonely than I am, was what I thought when I first saw you. To tell the truth, I resented you a bit that time.”

“Huh? Why?” I never imagined that someone as kind as Shiori could resent another person.

“Because even though you’re lonelier than me, you didn’t even realize it.” Shiori pouted. “And if you didn’t know you’re lonely, you wouldn’t ever feel the pain. So I approached you to make you realize that. Sorry, that’s a bit childish of me, right?” She scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

“I don’t mind.” I chuckled. “I get to see your cute side, so it’s doesn’t matter.”

“A-Anyway!” Shiori coughed once to hide her fluster. “If I have to choose between keep living like this or running away with you, then I’ll choose you without any hesitation, Kazuya-kun. My family doesn’t need me, and Aya will be fine without me. My place is right here, next to you.” Shiori grabbed my hand and squeezed it softly. “And besides, don’t you need to take responsibility for taking my first time?” She added with a mischievous grin.

I let out a sigh, fully realizing that I could never win against this girl for the rest of my life. “Are you sure you won’t regret it?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Shiori nodded strongly. “As long as I am with you, I will never regret it.”

I looked into her eyes and saw no lies within them. I leaned closer and softly kissed her, being careful not to put strain on her still recovering body.

“Then, you should be prepared, because I won’t ever let you go.” I declared before kissing her more passionately.

It was an exchange of our vows to stay together for the rest of our lives—until death do us part.