Yuzu laid in bed on his back, gazing up at the ceiling. He willed himself to sleep. However, remembering Ichigo's anxious face prevented him from doing that.
After running to the bathroom and throwing up what little food she had eaten, she had turned towards him with large and wide eyes. "Wh-what will they do with my picture?" she asked him frantically. "Will they use it to find me? I'm not stupid, I've seen it happen in movies before! Don't lie to me, Yuzu!"
It had taken an hour to convince Ichigo that no one was going to track her down and take her and that she was safe. And then she would only take a bath with Yuzu waiting outside the bathroom. When he asked if she wanted to sleep in his room that night, she declined and quietly retreated to her room, head hung low.
"Sorry, brother. I overreacted," she murmured before closing the door to her room.
Ichigo was indeed a fan of action and horror movies, Yuzu thought as he stared up at the ceiling. But she hadn't overreacted. That man who was at the gates of their house…had he been the one taking pictures? Adrenaline pumped through his system at the thought, and he clenched his fists in anger. If he had been more suspicious like Kari, would they have caught the man? No…how could he have known in the first place?
Frustration boiled in his veins, and he jumped out of bed. He opened his door and stared at the one across from his, at Ichigo's room. What could he do to help her right now? What would make her feel safer?
"Yuzu," a voice whispered close to his ear. He startled and whipped his head to Kari. Given how dark the hallway was, he hadn't noticed k standing next to him at all.
"Kari," he mumbled back, all the anger and frustration in him making his voice gravelly.
"Will you be staying by her door to keep watch?" k asked quietly. He could make out a small smile forming on k's face.
It was a good idea, but he wasn't going to admit that he left his room just to clear his head. He didn't like that Kari seemed to always be one step ahead of him. "Yeah, I'll be keeping watch," he said. For a moment, he felt relieved that Kari was as protective of Ichigo as him, if not more.
Then Kari walked past him and stood in front of Ichigo's door, a shadowed hand steady on the doorknob. "Then, good night, Big B," k whispered, almost kindly.
I'm delusional, he thought as he gripped Kari's shoulder with an equally kind smile. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked. Before k could attempt at an answer, he tightened his hold on Kari's shoulder and chuckled humorlessly. "Did you think I would let you enter Ichigo's room? Don't make me laugh," he growled at the last part.
"I'm making sure her door is locked," replied Kari, laughing lightly along with him. Only until Kari had settled into a sitting position against the wall adjacent Ichigo's door did Yuzu do the same opposite to Kari, next to his own bedroom door.
He kept a close eye on k as silence fell between them. After a moment of gathering his thoughts, the one question at the forefront of his mind was: how genuine is your concern for Ichigo? He had sometimes caught Kari staring at Ichigo with lewd satisfaction when Ichigo did something adorable such as when she had struggled to tie the laces of her shoes. He had thought it was cute, but he didn't compare to Kari who had covered k's mouth to stop a creepy chuckle from escaping. That's how he knew Kari cared for Ichigo to some disturbing extent. But why?
He recalled how cold Kari had been when they first met. K had wanted nothing to do with them. K never paid them any attention up until the car accident a year ago. And in that car accident, their mom had…
He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled. No use thinking about the accident, he thought as he adjusted into a more comfortable sitting position. Maybe he was being harsh on Kari. Maybe k really did care about Ichigo. Even if those feelings were spurred on by the promise k made with their mom, in the end, at least k was fulfilling the promise. That was all that mattered, right?
Not knowing what to do with the uneasiness that had settled within himself, he closed his heavy eyelids and fell into an uneasy sleep.
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A distant beeping woke Yuzu. He groggily opened his eyes, shifting to his side. His body immediately ached from the hardness of the floor, and he remembered he had slept outside of Ichigo's room. As he sat up, the blanket on him fluttered off.
It was his blanket, taken from his room. Looking at the place where his head had rested, he saw he had been sleeping on his own pillow. He stared at his items, knowing full well he hadn't been the one to grab them. The spot Kari had been sitting at was empty, and he assumed k had returned to k's bedroom sometime during the night.
Had k been the one to place his head on his pillow and place his blanket over him? Not knowing how to feel about the possibility of Kari doing that, he stood up and walked into his room. Finding his smartphone at the corner of his bed, he shut off the alarm and went through the daily routine of changing into his running clothes . As he rinsed his face and dried it, he glanced at Kari's door from across the bathroom.
Kari usually woke up earlier than him, and the sounds k made as k got ready usually roused him from his sleep. But this time it was his alarm that woke him. Was k still sleeping?
He looked at his reflection in the mirror, torn between knocking on k's door to check up on k or just leaving k be. After a moment more of indecisiveness, he left k alone and walked down the stairs.
I'll only run around our block so I'm near the house, he decided as a precaution, locking the front door behind him. Just in case somebody loiters around again.
As he began jogging, he noted how warmer the early mornings were becoming. Spring was slowly coming to an end, and summer was starting to show. He breathed in the cool air and everything in him stabilized. His mind became clear, and he became an observer within his running body.
Nothing can jar me from this peaceful state of mind, he thought to himself as he rounded the corner of his neighborhood. Then he saw a familiar figure jogging up ahead, and his thoughts immediately scrambled against each other.
It was Kari. How had k left the house without waking him up? And how early had k awoken? He opened his mouth to call out, and then stopped himself. He didn't need Kari's attention. It was better if he avoided Kari altogether, since k always riled him up during their morning jogs. He turned around and began jogging back the way he came.
Doesn't it seem like you're running away? His thoughts whispered, making him stop in his tracks. I'm not, he thought back to himself. As if in response, his mind conjured Kari's victorious grin when k had won the race from the previous morning. Annoyed, he remembered k's words. "I win, Yuzu," k had panted, smiling as if k had won more than the race.
Suddenly pissed, he turned back around and jogged. Why should I be the one doing the avoiding? He thought, frowning. Up ahead, Kari disappeared around the corner, and he was again reminded of how he lost the race. Cursing, he got ready to pivot as the corner loomed ahead. His body pivoted, and he passed the corner. In his peripheral vision, he saw a tall, dark shadow standing, waiting.
In an instant, he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and was slammed against the wall. His teeth clacked together from the impact. Before he could catch his breath, a strong arm crashed and pressed against his throat. All the air left his system, and his head screamed for air. Black started leaking into his vision and, in a state of panic, he made a fist with his free arm and swung out.
His fist collided with a face, hard, and he heard the other person swear as they released him. He hunched over and inhaled, tasting copper as air traveled down his raw windpipe. "Bastard," he growled hoarsely as he tried to straighten. He wobbled and put a hand on the wall to steady himself.
A dark laugh rang out, and all the anger drained out of him as he recognized it to be Kari's. "You'll regret you ever followed anyone," k promised. It was said in such a low and wild voice that chills ran down his spine.
"KARI!" he shouted instinctively, forgetting about his windpipe. Immediately, fire erupted from his throat, and he couldn't control the coppery cough that soon came after.
"Yuzu," he heard through the sounds of his gagging coughs. His eyes teared up right as the cough subsided, and he drew in trembling breaths as a hand fell on his shoulder. "Shit, it really is you," k said, sounding remorseful.
"Wh-who…do…you think…it was?" he rasped out, swallowing slowly. Kari, you idiot!
"Somebody else," k answered ambiguously. K's hand fell from his shoulder and a second later, the bright light from k's phone hit his face. He turned away, blinded, and put out his hand to cover his face. "What…?!"
"Sorry."
The light moved away, and he stilled when a hand grasped his chin. Kari tilted his head to the side and pointed the light at his neck. He swallowed and tried to pull away. "I'm…fine," he huffed, moving away from Kari's hands.
From the stay light coming from the phone, he saw k's lips form a snarl. "Don't move," k growled.
Whose fault do you think it is?! He thought angrily, but he did as k asked. Glancing at k, his anger lessened when he saw how tight k's jaws were. Then he saw the edges of the bruise beginning to form on the side of k's face. Shit, he thought, remorseful.
He opened his mouth, starting to apologize, but stopped when Kari put a hand to his neck. He felt his entire body still. It seemed like an eternity had passed before k's thumb brushed the bruise on his neck, making his pulse jump even as he winced in pain.
"Sorry," k whispered, dropping k's arm and shutting off the light.
He swallowed, feeling oddly flustered. "No…" he muttered. "Your face…I'm sorry, too."
"I deserved it. Let's go home."
He stepped away from k, still feeling the heat from when k had touched his neck. He needed to clear his idiotic head. "Ah, I…haven't finished…my laps, yet," he rasped. It was becoming easier to breathe again, and he was sure he would recover in a few minutes. He waved a hand in front of him, indicating k to go on without him.
Instead of doing that, however, k grabbed his hand and started walking. "No. We're going home," k said sternly.
He stumbled for a couple of steps, shocked. K slowed k's pace, and he considered insisting that he could finish his run. And then the last of his adrenaline drained from his system, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. The hand holding his tightened, and he was reminded they were holding hands. For the rest of the walk home, his mind became blank.