I felt Marin's weight against me, her giggles turning to hiccups as she slumped further. My eyes scanned the crowd, zeroing in on the drink stand. A chill ran down my spine.
A man in a crisp suit approached, concern etched on his face. But his eyes... they told a different story. I'd seen that look before, on the faces of Hidetora's men. Predatory. Hungry.
"Everything okay here?" he asked, his gaze lingering on Marin's exposed skin.
I tightened my grip on her waist, pulling her closer. "We're fine, thanks. She just got dizzy standing up too fast."
The man's lips twitched. "Are you sure? I'd be happy to help..."
I whipped out my phone, snapping a quick photo before he could react. His eyes widened, flicking between me and the camera.
"Like I said, we're good," I repeated, my voice hard. "Thanks for your concern."
He hesitated, clearly thrown off balance. I watched his eyes dart to the drink stand, where another man was watching us intently.
"If you're sure..." he muttered, backing away slowly.
I kept my face neutral, but inside, my blood boiled. These bastards were everywhere, weren't they? Even in this new world, there were always vultures circling, waiting to pick off the weak.
Marin stirred against me, mumbling something incoherent. I needed to get her somewhere safe, and fast. But first...
I typed out a quick message, attaching the man's photo, and hit send. Let Kenji deal with security.
After a few minutes I heard footsteps approaching. I glanced up to see Kenji jogging over, camera still dangling around his neck.
"There you guys are!" he called out. "I was about to send out a search party." His smile faded as he got close enough to see Marin slumped against me. "Whoa, is she okay?"
I met his gaze evenly. "She's pretty out of it. Some guy at a drink stand gave her something. I text you a picture." I tilted my head in the direction of the stand.
Kenji's eyes narrowed, his easygoing demeanor vanishing. "I'll check it out. You okay staying with her?"
"Of course."
Marin stirred at the sound of our voices, blinking blearily up at me. "Akira? Are we going home now?"
I patted her shoulder gently. "Not yet. Just rest, okay?"
She snuggled closer with a contented sigh. I glanced at Kenji, eyebrows raised in a silent question.
He ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled. "I hate to ask this, but any chance you could get Marin home safely? I'll handle things here with the police."
"I don't actually know where she lives," I admitted. Had we even exchanged that basic information earlier? "But I can look after her."
Marin perked up again at my words. "Ooh, I get to go to Akira's house?" She clasped her hands, smiling dreamily. "Like a sleepover!"
I bit back a sigh, giving Kenji an apologetic look. "I'll keep her safe, don't worry. Just focus on finding whoever did this."
He nodded, jaw set. "I'm on it. Call me once you have her settled, okay? And thanks, Akira. I really appreciate you looking out for her."
With a parting clap on my shoulder, Kenji headed off toward the drink stand, shoulders tense.
I turned my attention back to Marin, who was humming tunelessly under her breath. "Alright, let's get you out of here," I said, helping her to her feet.
She swayed unsteadily and grabbed my arm. "Whoa...why's the ground moving?"
"Careful." I kept a secure hold as we started slowly walking. "Just lean on me."
Marin beamed up at me. "You're my new best friend, Akira!"
I couldn't help a small smile at that. "Happy to help. Let's get you somewhere safe."
We made our way out of the mall and started down the busy street. Marin babbled cheerfully about anything that caught her eye - a dog being walked, a colorful advertisement, the clouds overhead.
I steered her along, hyperaware of our surroundings. My only focus was getting her someplace secure where she could safely sleep this off.
We had only gone a block or two when Marin stumbled again. I quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, taking more of her weight.
"Whoops!" She dissolved into giggles. "My feet are being so silly right now."
"It's okay, I've got you," I assured her. To anyone else we probably looked like a tipsy couple heading home after a date.
Marin snuggled against my side with a contented noise. "My hero."
I shook my head wryly and kept guiding her forward. She was going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.
My eyes continuously scanned our surroundings. I couldn't shake the lingering unease from that man at the photo shoot. What if he or someone else had followed us?
I needed to get us off the street. My cramped apartment wasn't far; I could let Marin rest there until she sobered up. She clearly wasn't going to make it home like this.
We turned down a quieter side street. Marin tripped again, nearly faceplanting into the pavement before I caught her.
"Whoa there," I said. "Almost took a nosedive."
She burst into renewed laughter. "You're always catching me, Akira!"
I managed a thin smile. We were almost there.
At last we reached my apartment building. Marin oohed and aahed over the 'fancy lobby' as I guided her inside and onto the elevator. She swayed the whole ride up, using my shoulder to steady herself.
On my floor, I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door to my unit. Marin stumbled inside ahead of me.
"Wow, Akira, your place is so cool!" she gushed, nearly knocking over a stack of books as she spun around.
I winced, visions of her destroying my sparse belongings flashing through my mind. "Here, let's get you settled on the futon," I said, steering her gently toward the folded mattress in the corner.
Marin flopped down with a happy sigh, arms spread wide. "Comfy!"
I breathed a small sigh of relief now that she was safely inside. I grabbed a bottle of water and a clean t-shirt from my dresser.
"Here, drink some of this," I said, cracking open the bottle and handing it to her. Marin gulped it down eagerly.
I averted my eyes as she started tugging off her costume from the shoot. "You can change into this shirt, it'll be more comfortable."
Marin gave me a cheeky grin as she pulled the oversized tee over her head. "Aww, you're such a gentleman, Akira."
I felt my face grow warm and busied myself tidying up. Marin burrowed under the blanket, still chattering about the fun sleepover we were having.
Within minutes, her words trailed off into soft snores. I watched the steady rise and fall of her breathing for a moment. She looked so peaceful. Hard to believe this bubbly girl had almost been preyed upon today.
I sank down onto the floor nearby, leaning my head back against the wall. My limbs felt heavy, the day's tension slowly draining away. I realized how tightly I'd been wound since the moment I first noticed something amiss at the shoot.
I pushed myself to my feet. A shower would help rinse away the day's grime and clear my head. I grabbed some clean clothes from the dresser and slipped into the bathroom, carefully closing the door behind me.
The hot water beating down on my shoulders felt amazing. I braced my hands against the shower wall, bowing my head under the stream. Steam rose around me as the tense muscles in my back and neck slowly relaxed.
After I'd washed off the hair products and makeup residue from the photoshoot, I just stood there for a few minutes, eyes closed, letting the water sluice over me. The constant pressure was soothing. Cathartic, even.
Eventually I shut off the water and toweled off briskly, eager to get back and check on Marin. I pulled on a t-shirt and shorts and rubbed a towel over my damp hair.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I saw Marin was still asleep. Her breathing was deep and even. I moved quietly to avoid disturbing her.
Sitting back down against the wall, I pulled out my phone. I shot Kenji a quick text to see if there were any updates about the creeps from the photoshoot.
His reply came a few minutes later:
Hey Akira, sorry for the delay. The police just left after taking statements from me and some of the crew. Unfortunately the guys from the drink stand had cleared out by the time security went looking for them. No trace left behind. The police said they'll put some extra patrols in the area but there's not much else they can do with no evidence. Let me know if you or Marin remember any other details that could help ID them. How's she doing?
I sighed, shoulders slumping. Just as I'd expected - the bastards had slithered away into the shadows again. For now, at least.
Glancing over at Marin's sleeping form, I tapped out a reply:
She's okay, still passed out. I'll let you know if she remembers anything useful when she wakes up. Might be better if she stays here tonight until whatever they gave her is out of her system. I'll keep an eye on her.
Kenji's response came quickly:
Good call. Don't want to risk trying to get her home like that. Let me know if you need anything. And thanks again, Akira. Seriously. I'm glad she wasn't alone out there. You're a good guy. Get some rest.
I stared at his words on the glowing screen. A good guy. If only he knew even half of the things I'd done in my past life, he wouldn't be so quick with the praise. But I was trying to start fresh here. To be someone better this time around.
I set the phone aside with a tired exhale. My eyes felt heavy, the comedown after an adrenaline-filled day setting in. Marin was safe for now. With any luck she'd sleep through the night and wake up tomorrow no worse for wear.
Leaning my head back against the wall once more, I allowed my eyes to slip closed. I'd stay alert for any signs of distress from Marin, but a little rest definitely wouldn't hurt.
For now, I'd done all I could. Stopped a predator in his tracks and gotten an innocent girl to safety. It was a small victory, but I'd take it.
Tomorrow was a new day. New chances to keep fighting back against the darkness that lurked in so many human hearts. Starting with my own.
With that thought swirling through my mind, I finally surrendered to my exhaustion and let sleep pull me under.