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?"