Chereads / A Gentle Touch / Chapter 3 - III - Laying Low

Chapter 3 - III - Laying Low

Libra's POV

"Mommy. Mommy, wake up."

I wake to Ditto shaking me gently. Did he just call me "mommy" ? I look over at the digital clock on the nightstand. It's 5:30 in the morning. Surprisingly, I'm not hung over. I direct my attention back to Ditto, who looks worried.

"What's wrong, buddy?" I ask.

"There's people outside." He replies, "They have the same clothing you do."

This can't be good. I get out of bed and walk over to the window. Drawing back one of the curtains, I let my eyes adjust to the light. I hate to admit it, but he's right. In front of the hotel are two trucks and a group of 5-6 people. The thing is, they aren't Hunter Killers. They're members of the Zodiac 12, a specialized group of soldiers that Prince Serren himself put together. I was supposed to be one of them, but I declined the prince's offer. It just wasn't for me. I close the curtains and look at Ditto.

"We need to go." I say, "Now."

We gather the few things we have and leave our room. When we reach the lobby, I see 2 members of the Zodiac 12. Sagittarius and Virgo. Sagittarius spots us and approaches.

"Name and unit." His deep, gravelly voice carries throughout the room as he speaks.

"General Crow Fairbrook and HK-9427. Unit 11."

What? I look over and see my commanding officer standing where Ditto should be. Her neck shows no signs of being broken. I look back at Sagittarius, who crosses his arms.

"Each unit has 3 to 4 Hunter Killers. Where are the other two?" He asks.

"HK-8732 and HK-3586, K.I.A." She says.

Sagittarius sighs and nods. He walks back over to Virgo. I look at my commanding officer again. She winks and then it hits me. Clever boy. After leaving the hotel, we go to a clothing store. Ditto shifts back into the little boy and sneezes.

I decide that a change of clothing will do some good. After what feels like hours of searching, I finally find clothing that I like. Ditto picks out a few things too. I pay and then we leave. Upon exiting the store, I spot an empty motor bike, big enough to seat two. Walking over to the vehicle, I see a drunk stumble out of a nearby bar towards us. Great, another unwanted problem.

"Oi!" The drunk shouts, "Get away from my bike!"

"It doesn't have your name on it." I say unamused

Then the drunk stumbles forward, taking a swing at me. I sigh, step to the side, and strike him in the stomach. Keys fall out of his pocket as he falls to the ground with a groan. I swipe them and bring my boot down right on his temple, effectively knocking him out. Fucking idiot. We get on the bike and I start the engine. Ditto's arms snake around my waist as he holds onto me. I then speed off and don't look back.

Ditto rests his head against my back as I drive. I gather my thoughts as I feel him breath. At the moment, finding a place to lay low is the best option. So that's what we'll do. I keep driving for about an hour until I spot the opening to a forest. Turning the bike, I head down a path between the trees. To my surprise, the path leads to a cottage. I stop the bike as we reach the front of the cottage. Ditto sits up, peering at the house from over my shoulder.

"Is this where we're gonna stay?" He asks.

"Yeah, for now." I reply.

I park the bike and walk up to the front door. I then look at the keys in my hand. If one key starts the bike, what if..? I try the other key. Sure enough, the front door unlocks. I look at Ditto and open the door.

Upon entering, I see furniture, a kitchen, what looks like a bathroom, and stairs leading to the second floor. Closing the door, I set the bags on the table and walk over to the stairs. Ditto follows, looking at the stairs then at me. I nod as the fingers on my left hand are soon replaced with claws. I ascend the stairs, Ditto following close behind me. We find a bed and...is that a cradle? Ditto wanders over to it and touches the wooden bars on the side. He lowers them carefully and tries to climb into it. As I watch him, something clicks with me. The cradle, his current form, calling me "mommy". He's a little. I gently pick him up and place him in the cradle. Ditto smiles at me, "It's really comfortable, Mommy."

"Good." I say.

He yawns and rolls over on his side. I put a blanket over him and raise the bars again to secure him. He's asleep in a matter of seconds. I smile a little and kiss his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, buddy." I whisper and go back downstairs.

I decide to take a shower. I sigh as the hot water hits my back. It's been a few months since I've felt completely at ease. Being at war with yourself isn't something enjoyable, and it isn't easy when you have someone else to take care of. As I clean myself, some of the thoughts I've ignored cross my mind. Why was Ditto by himself in that building? He must've gotten lost. Or maybe he was abandoned. Was it necessary for me to kill them? No, but I was in the heat of my anger. I couldn't stop myself. Am I a criminal? Yes. Do I care? Honestly no. What do I do next? I have no idea. I turn off the shower, step out and dry off. I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. Nothing special. I touch one of the marks on my chest. Claw marks, from a bastard that tried to kill me. He didn't cut deep enough.

With a sigh, I get dressed in new clothes I bought. Black tank top, navy blue and black flannel, dark grey pants, black belt with silver holes. It's not as dark as my uniform, but it is comfortable. Stepping out of the bathroom, I glance at the clock by the kitchen entrance. It's a quarter to eight. I'd expect Ditto to be calling me from upstairs, but he's sound asleep. To be fair, he did wake me up early. But for a good reason. I should rest too. We're an hour from town and unless someone has a death wish, I doubt anyone is going to come looking for trouble anytime soon. After making sure the door and all the windows are shut and locked, I go back upstairs. Ditto's breathing is soft and even, as it should be. He must have kicked off the blanket in his sleep, because it's at his feet while he's curled up with his thumb in his mouth. I put the blanket back over him, then take off the flannel I'm wearing and drape it over the side.

He grabs the flannel sleeve in his sleep and pulls it to him. A small smile forms on his face as he hugs it close like a teddy bear.  For the longest time, I didn't think I'd be able to protect anyone. Not after she died. Three years later, I find myself with Ditto by my side. Honestly, being around him makes me feel happy. He's the sweetest little boy I've ever met. Hell, I'd even go as far as to say I adore him. The question I had earlier runs across my mind again. What do I do next? I then smile as the answers comes to me. I'll protect this little boy, no matter the cost. He's too precious, no, too important to me to lose. I walk over to the bed and lie down, not carrying enough to get under the covers. Besides the soft sound of Ditto's breathing, the house is silent. Sunlight creeps in as the faint sound of a mockingbird is heard every other few minutes. The longer I stare up at the ceiling, the heavier my eyelids get. The harder it is to fight falling asleep. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. My body starts to relax more as I exhale. If this is the start to a new life, then I'll gladly take it. No more orders. No more fighting. No more lives lost because of me. I'll finally be happy. No, we'll finally be happy. My mind drifts off as I give into to the gentle temptation that is sleep.