Part 42 : Realisation

Many weeks later.

"Amaya, can you walk faster? I don't wanna miss the bus and walk home!" Kazuki yelled from afar.
"Got it! Wait!" Amaya started to run but a hand seized hers. It was Akira.

"Hey." Akira said. "Shouldn't you be more careful not to run especially in that state of a body?"
"Ah." Amaya slowed down. "Ahaha.. I guess you're right?"

The four of them were discharged. Medical fees fully paid by the school.

"Where's Shiro?" Narumi asked.
"He ran off on his own again." Kazuki said. "I wonder what happened? I mean, he was still fine when I talked to him few weeks ago and then some random thing happened and the he stopped talking.."

"Wonder what happened." Akira said as well.

Couldn't it be... Because of what he did? Amaya thought.

"You're awfully quiet, Amaya." Kazuki said. "Something happened?"

"Ah? What? Me? No! Nothing at all!" Amaya said awkwardly. Then she realized all of them were looking at her suspiciously. "Ahh.. I said it was nothing...." she ran into the bus which just arrived.

Amaya took a seat with Akira next to her and Kazuki sat with Narumi at their side. Amaya silently looked out the window at the passing scenery.

Reminds me of that day, when he did that in the hospital room.. Wonder what's Shiro doing now.

When they reached home, it was already evening and Amaya went straight into her room and closed the door shut. Her wound had already recovered slightly less than fully thanks to Akira. She could run around if she wanted to but Akira kept stopping her, worried that she'll get into trouble again. Amaya locked the door and opened the window. She climbed onto the window frame and looked out.

"So this was how it felt like when he ran out of my room the first time I helped him huh?" Amaya said to herself remembering the time when she found Shiro, or more so Kaze in the alley with a bleeding head.

Amaya turned to look at her locked door. "It'll take a while till they find out I'm gone right?" she said to herself.

She jumped out and disappeared into the evening sun rays.

*********************

 "Kazu!! Kazu!! Akira! Akira!!!!" Narumi yelled.
"What?!" Kazuki shouted back as the two boys ran up the stairs to where Narumi was shouting from. Amaya's room.

"It's locked and she wouldn't answer no matter how many times I bang the door!"
"Move." Akira pushed Narumi aside. He took out a small pin from his wallet and picked open the door.
"Cool." Narumi said. Kazuki immediately pushed open the door only to find the room empty with the window opened.

"There she really did it." Akira breathed out a laugh and meddled with his hair.

*********************

Amaya let her hair down to tie it up again but the wind was considerably strong and her hair flowed along. She paused and looked up into the sky.

"Maybe I should leave it like this?" she said to herself. "Since people somehow don't recognize me when they see me with my hair down, somehow."

Amaya jumped up onto a medium high roof and ran along the roofs in the direction of Kaze's alley. Halfway there and she was already starting to not catch her breath.

"Not being Hana for so long has really taken a toll on me.." she thought to herself.
By the time she reached the alley next to Kaze's she wobbled down from the roof and nearly fell but managed to somehow land on a heap of plastic bags containing paper.

"What.. is this..." Amaya panted hardly. "Tired.. so easily.." She didn't bother getting up for a long time until she slowly caught back her breath.

When she finally steadied herself, she stood up and dusted herself. The wind was still blowing and it was a good thing, makes things easier to blow off.

Amaya slowly walked into the alley. the wind had somehow turned into a breeze in an instant she stepped into the alley.

"He's definitely here." she whispered and jumped up to Kaze's room which she went before. The minute she jumped up, he was right there. Killer yellow eyes gleaming like a cat's in the moonlight.

"Kaze you-" Amaya began but a katana flew pass her face, cutting of a little of her hair.
Kaze stood up. Amaya didn't flinch a bit and could tell that he didn't recognize her. A little surprised, he asked her, "You seem to know about me, but, you're not afraid?"

"What's there to be afraid of, when you're just another victim of the accident on the bus?" she said calmly.
Kaze jumped at her and pushed her along with himself off the building and slammed her into another heap of plastic bags with paper inside.

"WHO'RE YOU?!" he yelled.
"Someone. But not from the master. Definitely not."
"You saw the whole thing?" he said, assuming she was one of the students from the trip.
"Yes I technically did." she said and slowly bent closely forward to him, "but don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Why should I trust you?" he asked.
"Because, I wouldn't be as stupid to risk my life telling others knowing well that you'll come after me if I did." Amaya said, playing along his assumptions which she already noticed. "Besides," she stood up. "if I did tell anyone, no one would've believed me right?"

"What'd you want?"
"Well for starters," Amaya said and put her hand on his shoulder. "I want- no. I need you to get off me. It hurts." she said calmly even though the half-healed wound was aching terribly again. Kaze immediately got off her and she stood up as quick as possible.

Amaya noticed Kaze staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"You," he stepped closer to her. Very close to her. Amaya took half a step back in slight defense.
"What about me?" she frowned awkwardly.
"Those eyes." he said and paused. Kaze stared intently into her eyes.
"What about my eyes?" Amaya asked again, this time getting a little annoyed.
"Very familiar red eyes you have there." Kaze said.

Uneasiness fell on Amaya. Hana's eyes. she thought. Our eyes, us assassins, our eyes gleam in the dark. 
"What so familiar about them. They're just.. Red."
"You are that girl aren't you?" Kaze asked.
"What girl?"

"You are Hana. Aren't you?"

Part 41 : Awkward

"Yes it was him." Shiro said.
"and then?" Kazuki asked.
"You do know that you're gonna be in danger if I told you-"
"I said, I want the truth." Kazuki repeated again.

Shiro reluctantly glanced at Kazuki. Kazuki gestured Shiro to go on with his eyes.

He told him every single bit of what happened and choked out the part when he got controlled with much difficulty. He could remember what he did. Everything came back like a nightmare after he was treated. He could tell it wasn't just a dream because this wasn't the first time he's been controlled.

"Well," Kazuki said after a long pause when Shiro finished. "I guess it wasn't completely your fault."
"it's still mine.." Shiro said. "If only I was mentally stronger, physically better and a little wiser..."
"Look." Kazuki cut him. "Stop talking as if the world ended few hours ago. As if you're caring the burden of the world on your back, okay?

"Everyone received the fair share of wounds they could bear and no one died. Amaya and Akira fought with their lives on the line to protect the rest of our lives and to save yours. They saved you so that you'd have a hope for yourself to survive. At least respect them for their choice and don't be so depressed will you? They made their choice to save you at the expense of their lives so make your choice how you would repay them. And don't go avenging them now by going to the master. I'd beat you up if you did that."

Shiro sat there silently. Beat me up? I'd have killed you before your hands start to strike me. He laughed inside at the thought.

"I'll go rest till they wake up." Shiro stood and went into his room.
"boy with lots of issues." Kazuki shook his head and headed back into his room.

**************************

I'm, in the hospital again, right? Amaya thought to herself when she was conscious, not even wanting to take the effot to open her eyes. So I guess I survived. That means Shiro, he helped us right? He wouldn't have just saved me now, did he?

The thought of Shiro only saving her got her eyes opening in a flash, which she shut it back due to the light shining in from the windows. After a second slow attempt to open her eyes, she tilted her head to the side, hoping to find Akira. She did and was relived.

Amaya struggled herself up in a sitting position. Not a good idea. But she was already up and the long blade wound cutting through her body around her stomach area hurt so bad, she had to support her whole body weight with her hands.

After a while, she slowly let her body weight settle on her normal sitting position and leaned back.
Tempted to press the call button, she did. It was moments later when the doctor rushes in with a nurse behind him. Amaya was laid back down and rolled into a room for her checkup.

When she came to again, she found herself in a normal room with Kazuki and Narumi. Kazuki was asleep, she could tell and Narumi was still unconscious. Her major wound didn't hurt as badly as before, but recalling how bad it hurt the first time, she remained still in her sleeping position.

It wasn't long till Shiro came in. Seeing him coming in, she pretended to be unconscious or sleeping (whichever that was), before he fully came in to see her awake. All Amaya could do was to hear.

She heard Shiro pacing right past Kazuki and Narumi and heading straight for her. She remained as still as a log. She felt a hand caressing her hair.

"Well, at least I didn't hurt your head or you might loose your hair during the operation." Shiro's voice came, soft and swift just like how he is when he's Kaze, but somehow warm.

Amaya couldn't stop herself from thinking nonsense which she knew very well.
Can't it be, he likes me?
Er. No. What nonsense are you spouting?
He could you know, the way he caressed your hair.
It's just hair, goodness.
But his warm and soft voice, never shown to anyone but shown to the 'unconscious' you..
That's cause he doesn't know that I'm awake right?
Exactly why he doesn't show it because you're awake every other time he sees you...

Amaya stopped. What felt like a kiss landed on her forehead.

What, was that?

"I'm very sorry I did this.." Shiro said, sitting on a chair next to her bed. "Kazuki told me not to get depressed about it but I can't help it.. It's like only if I was more intelligent, and stronger, and more firm-!" Shiro jerked back in shock (maybe a little sense of horror in it as well).

Amaya couldn't stand his blabbering for long and had grabbed his hand which he buried his face with. Shiro stared at Amaya as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Ah. You," Amaya began and felt very awkward, remembering that he was Kaze. "Don't think like that, ever again." she continued and slowly let go of his hand.

Shiro frowned. He was angry because he felt so embarrassed at what he did and said.
Wait.. How long has she been awake? Since I came in? Then the kiss-

"Gosh, you were talking so much and I had to be disturbed by your blabbering..." Amaya said, suggesting she woke up because of Shiro's talking.

I'll assume she doesn't know about it.

"Don't worry. You stay here in hospital and rest well. Once all five of us are ready to be discharged, we'll go home together." Amaya said, feeling a chill run up her spine as she remembered the alley they first battled in.

"Home?" Shiro echoed.
"You can stay over if you liked." Amaya tried to force a smile despite her tired body.
"Stay over?" Shiro echoed again. This time feeling really like a robot.
"Unless, it's better and safer for you to stay in he alley, by all means."

"Whatever." Shiro had his emotionless, cold character on again for whatever reason he had. He stood up and left the room.

"Ah, there he goes again."

Part 40 : Regret

"E-EMERGENCY!!!!!" Shiro yelled into the public phone a distance away. "HURRY!"

***************************

"A bus accident occurred at the south road of shintaro region yesterday evening. The bus, which was believed to have lost control due to engine and break malfunctioning, skidded along the road before overturning a few times. No deaths have been confirmed but there are a total of  25 casualties including the bus driver....."

Shiro sat outside the hospital room of Kazuki and Narumi. He had half healed himself but ran out of strength to heal Amaya and Akira. Both of them were in the Intensive Care Unit due to their severe injuries.

He was regretting and blaming himself for everything that had happened.

If only I had been stronger. I would have been able to prevent master from controlling me. I wouldn't have hurt all of them.

The doctor came out of the ICU room. Shiro stood up immediately.

"Dont worry." he said. "They're both recovering at a very fast speed. Their immune system seems to be extraordinarily strong. Two or three days more and they'll be out of ICU. You should go in to your room to rest more." he walked away.

"rest?" Shiro said. "After all I did and he expects me to REST?!"
"What else, if not rest?"
Shiro jerked up. Kazuki! "When did you-!"
"Keep it down will you?" Kazuki said.

A moment of silence.

"What happened?" Kazuki questioned.
"The bus malfunctioned and then accident." Shiro replied.
"Oh really? That's exactly what they said in the news I heard from the radio in my room." Kazuki said, a little pissed off. "You don't expect me to believe the bus just malfunctioned for no reason and then it skids, overturns a few times with no result of deaths and only Amaya and Akira suffered the craziest wounds? What am I, an idiot?"

"What else do you want me to say?!" Shiro raised his voice.
"I want the truth." Kazuki said.
"That's all I have to say." Shiro replied.

"It was that master am I right?" Kazuki said in a low voice.

WHAT?! HOW'D HE KNOW?!!

"What master?" Shiro kept his straight face.
"Oh don't go hiding it from me or Narumi, we both already know about you, Amaya and Akira."
Shiro remained silent.
"Now, what happened?" Kazuki repeated.
Shiro glaced at him.
"What happened after the bus overturned?"