fast lanes ; s, manjiro

04

04
pit stop

The profound awareness of an empty stomach hit Kazuki harder than a heartbreak ever could. The absence of a satisfying meal weighed on her more than any emotional turmoil she had experienced. And to add insult to injury, she never even got her McDonald's. Starvation didn't suit her, nor did being battered and bruised, for that matter.

She limped her way across the road, massaging her trembling arm. Her movements were laboured: The persistent ringing in her head lingered as somewhat of an echo, now a faded shadow of the cacophony of sirens that rang in her ear during the heat of the fight. The adrenaline that had once surged through her veins had dwindled, hitting her like a goddamned truck. Her foot struggled to bear her weight, and her right arm twitched with an erratic rhythm, mirroring her every step and breath. And her nose, god, her nose.

With trembling fingers, Kazuki gently traced the contours of her nose, the touch both soothing and a poignant ache. Her nose bore the consequences of an unplanned ramble – swollen, the skin tender to the touch, a gritty sensation accompanying the pain that pulsed through it. What had previously been a flawless upturned tip now bore a slight tilt to the side, a subtle alteration but wounded Kazuki's pride, nonetheless. Only minor and small, she thanked. No man could ever dare ruin her beauty once again. She simply won't let them. The delicate peachy rose blush that once adorned it was replaced by a swollen canvas of deep purples and greens, a cursed remnant of the embarrassing brawl.

She harboured no intention of sharing this with anyone else, and she fervently hoped that the two strangers who had come to her aid would also keep the incident to themselves.

The distant panorama of a playground grew closer in the darkness. The playground in the dark didn't seem like a children's playpen. Instead, it looked like a stark nightmare. But it seemed the perfect place to seek shelter, no matter how absurd it was. Kazuki climbed the slide, though, she was admittedly the perfect size for the slide, she didn't fit in the tunnel inside. With a low grown, she slumped against the wall, and sighed shakily, bundling her knees close to her chest and covering her exposed skin with her bag. She had no blanket, no jacket, no anything. Only clad in her tattered school blouse and school skirt, she had nothing trustworthy to rely on.

The wind aggressively swept through the open slide, causing her to sniffle, her eyes threatened by tears. Yet, she brushed aside the notion, retrieving her flip phone with its subdued pink case from her pocket. The screen's glow pierced the darkness as she opened it, and she skillfully untangled her headset, plugging it into the socket. Soon, her music began to play, and she closed her eyes, succumbing to its gentle rhythm.

Though, the soft pattering taps on the metal slide had unashamedly ruined her moment of peace. Kazuki's eyes shot wide, clutching her gun in her bag's front pocket. She wished it would work at this second, and denied the reality of the empty magazine. The pistol trevored in place, and extended eye level to the stranger. But when her brown eyes locked with wane indigo, her breath shallowed. "Grape." Kazuki gasped.