I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, only to find that the bed was empty. I figured that Kazuto was either in the bathroom or getting a drink. I walked down the hall, holding my hand out and touching the walls to keep my balance. I found the bathroom and flipped on the light. There was nobody in there, so Kazuto must have been in the kitchen.
When I finished in the bathroom, I opened the door and the light suddenly turned off. I was immersed in blackness. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I could just make out the figure of my husband standing right next to the door. He was almost glowing in the dark, his face was so pale.
"What's wr-", I started to say before he cupped his hands over my mouth.
He pulled me close and shut the bathroom door. I could hear the sound of feet in the apartment, and it wasn't Kazuto and I. There was somebody inside the apartment. My palms began to sweat and my hand went to my stomach. What if they hurt us? What if they killed us?
Kazuto let go of my mouth and moved towards the door. He slowly turned the door handle, then leaned out. It sounded like whoever was here was in the livingroom. Kazuto tiptoed out and shut the door behind him. I was left alone in the darkness of the bathroom, with nothing but the sound of footsteps in the apartment, and my thoughts.
What was Kazuto doing? Was he going to run them out? I knew that he had a gun under his side of the bed, plus his sword in the hall closet, which we kept there in case of the need to defend on the spot. Kazuto was good in the video games he played, but this was real life.
I heard somebody shout as the light came on underneath the door. There were two young male voices that I didn't recognize, and Kazuto's . More unintelligible yelling ensued, then I heard gunshots and two loud thumps. My heart began to race as I heard footsteps approach the bathroom door and pause. The doorknob started to turn and the door creaked open to reveal Kazuto, standing there with his gun.
"It's ok to come out. They're gone.", he said.
What did 'they're gone' mean? Did he kill them? I slowly walked towards the door and Kazuto let it swing open completely. I walked out and peered into the living room. The couch was shoved at an awkward angle and the balcony doors were open. There was a burlap sack on the ground full of things that I presumed were ours or that had been stolen from other houses. In the distance, I heard screeching tires.
"Are you ok? You didn't shoot them, did you?", I asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, no I didn't shoot them. I shot out the balcony doors, past them.", Kazuto said.
I sighed a breath of relief and my heart stopped racing. I ran over to Kazuto and threw my arms around him. Earlier, he'd showed me his weak side. Now, I guess it was my turn. A tear escaped my eyes and I started crying. Kazuto hugged me, then bent down a little and picked me up. His gun was no longer in his hands and he was carrying me to the bedroom, where he set me down and bent down in front of me.
He used his thumbs to wipe away my tears, and gave me a sweet, reassuring smile. The thing he did next surprised me a little. He pushed me gently onto my back so that I was laying back on the pillow, then crawled onto the bed next to me. He gently put his head on my stomach and wrapped his arms around my waist.
My tears stopped falling and I giggled a little. I stroked Kazuto's hair and relaxed. I had been so scared, but I forgot one thing. I had the best protection anybody could ever ask for. Kazuto would always be there to protect me. He would never leave me and he would fight tooth and nail to keep me safe.
"Hey. They're not gonna come back, are they?", I asked.
"No. I took care of them. They'll probably be running away with their tails between their legs. I'll keep you safe. No, I'll keep us safe. I promise.", Kazuto said.
I smiled and then closed my eyes. They stung from the tears that had dried in them. I squeezed them shut and let the burning go away. Before I knew it, though, I was drifting off to sleep. As I did, I didn't feel scared, I didn't feel worried, I didn't feel paranoid. I felt protected, and loved, and safe.
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I know this one was super short, but I hope you liked it anyway. I realized that maybe the story was starting to slip and become bland, so I added something to make it more interesting. Thanks so much if you made it this far. I know I might not be the best author, but a lot of people have given me great feedback thus far. Thanks a lot, guys! don't forget to vote on names and genders for the new arrivals!
