𝐈𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 ✓

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

ASAHI
———————
Ten years ago

"Saori?! Where are you?" I playfully called out for her. Her tiny feet were visible under the curtains. She was hiding behind it, totally oblivious that I could actually see her.

Her soft giggles filled my ears and I slowly walked over to her. With slow and steady steps, I closed the distance between us and suddenly pulled the curtains to the side.

"Haa, I got you!" I said and she started to laugh. I lifted her in my arms and spun her around. Even though Saori was eleven years old, she was tiny. Just like Mom.

She let out another throaty laugh and kicked her legs around.

"You are not fair. I didn't have enough time to get a good hiding spot." I let her down and she pushed her black hair to the side.

"Okay next time, I'll count slower," I reassured her. My eyes flew to her neck. The gold chair Grandma used to wear was on her.

"Saori, I told you not to wear that."

A pout formed on her lips and she crossed her hands in front of her. "But sofu said that I can wear it." Of course, he did. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.

Since our parents died we did everything in our power for Saori to not feel their absence. She was only five years old when the accident that killed our patients happened.

Because of that, Saori was never left alone. Either she was with Grandpa or with me. Today we had the whole day to ourselves and I promised her that I'd play hide and seek with her.

"But be careful with it, okay?" I caressed her hair and she grinned at me. Her smile reached her eyes.

"Can we take a break?" She asked and I nodded. She followed me in the kitchen and I prepared her a freshly squeezed lemonade. It was her favorite drink.

We sat by the island and she slowly took a sip of it, swinging her legs from the chair. Saori was a very bright child. From a young age, she became very creative and spent most of her time painting or crafting whatever came to her mind.

She inherited her creativity from Grandma I'm sure.

"Do you want something else? Maybe a snack?" I asked her. She tapped her chin with her finger, imitating one of the elderly guards.

"Um, no. I'm not hungry." He finally said and took another sip of her drink.

Her shoulders slumped and she looked at her lap. Something was bothering her.

"What is it?" I nudged her arm playfully, trying to cheer her up, from whatever was on her mind.

"I had a bad dream last night." She confessed and my eyebrows furrowed at her words. It was not the first time she had them. Saori was scared of being alone but she insisted on sleeping in her room by herself.

"Why did you wake me up?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at her hands that were placed in her lap.

"You have to wake me up if you're scared, yeah?" She slowly nodded her head and straightened her back. Turning her head to me she smiled.

"Look. You remember when you made this for me?" I pointed to the bracelet on my wrist. "Well." I took it off and held it in my palm. "You wear it and every time you're scared just hold it in your tiny hand and you'll know that I'm always here. Okay? But if you're really scared just come to me. Even if it's at night, just wake me up. We'll make a hot chocolate." Mom always used to do that every time I couldn't sleep. She would take me to the kitchen and make me a hot of chocolate.

"That would be awesome." She chuckled and took the last sip of lemonade, emptying the glass.

She stood up and took it to the sink. She washed her hands and grabbed the bracelet off the counter. I tied it up around her wrist and she jumped up and down, twirling in her dress.

"Go and hide now." She said and we bumped our fists.

Because the weather was good, the windows were wide open and the glass doors that led to the garden were open as well.

She walked over to the wall and placed her hands in front of her face. She leaned her head and started to count.

Looking for a place to hide, my eyes caught sight of the small wooden house we had in the garden. It had all of the tools Grandpa used for planting flowers and such.

I hurried over there and stepped in, closing the door after me.

The earthy smell hit my nose and I walked over to the chair that was placed in the corner of the tiny space. There were all kinds of tools and I know that sofu kept and gun somewhere on the top shelves, where Saori couldn't reach it.

I sat on the chair and tapped my legs on the floor. It might take her more time to find me, but we have played hide and seek hundreds of times and we knew every hiding place.

She must be looking for me in the rooms.

Grandpa was away for a few days and we were left alone. Because Saori was constantly around me it was hard for me to prepare her birthday present. She was going to turn twelve in a few weeks.

I wanted to prepare for her a small birthday party since she had no other friends. She was home-schooled. It made me guilty that we made her stay at home even for school but it was safer.

I had bought her some painting supplies and a few stuff for making bracelets and necklaces. That's why she wears Grandma's necklace, she loves jewelry. I will buy her whatever she wants in the future. Whatever jewelry she wants, she will have it.

She and Grandpa were my only family.

Where is she thought? I stood up from my chair and before I could open the door, I heard a gun shoot in the distance.

Some was shouting and my heart hammered against my rib cage. I quickly went to grab the gun and carefully exited the small house. Because it was at the end of the garden, I had to run to the house, to see what was happening.

When I entered the living room, one of the guards was on the floor, blood around him.

"Saori!" I yelled and walked further in.

"Boss?!" I heard one of the guards, he was slowly dragging his body to me. There was a wound on his stomach as well as on his hand.

"Where is she?" I yelled, my ears were buzzing.

"They took her." He said and I quickly ran to the main doors. One of the windows was shattered and the door was open wide.

A few cars were speeding off and I fired my gun, aiming for the tires.

A man with a mask on his face peeked from one of the cars and fired his gun my way. A sharp pain sliced through my thigh and I lost my balance, falling on the ground.

Shit!

A few guars ran to me, both of them covered in blood, their shirts soaked in red.

"Boss!"

"Saori!!" I yelled, the tears staining my face. My vision was blurring. No! No! I have to get her.

"Saori..." My voice caught in my throat. It felt like the sky fell over me, my lungs were burning and my eyes started to slowly close on their own.

The last thing I heard were hushed voices.

😥😓

Thoughts?