Chapter 18: Stay With Me

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(Fitting Music:  Citizen Soldier - Found)


"Murayama?"

"Shh," a voice hushed softly as two strong arms slipped under my bleeding frame, "I'm here, I'm here."

     I was him, it was really him!  I tried to smile but a fresh wave of pain caused a grimace to bloom instead.

"Seki!" roared Murayama and I could not help but notice the desperation and panic lacing his rich, sweet voice.

     Seki's attention was trained on us in an instant, but not before slamming his foot into a crumpled body for good measure.

"Clear a path outside."

     Dark speckles dotted the edges of my vision and I lost track of the big man as he slipped out of view, my mind drifting elsewhere.

"Why-" I struggled to focus on what I wanted to ask, but my brain was sluggish and my senses all but nonexistent.  Just as well, I mused, the pain would be unbearable.

     Murayama pressed his jacket around the blade sprouting from my chest and the ghastly wound beneath, pulling a blood-curling scream from my lips.  I knew he was saving my life, but I still shot him a glare that would stop most men dead in their tracks.  However, he brushed it away barely taking notice of it.

     Through gritted teeth, I finally got my question out, "W-why . . . why did you come?"

     That stopped the great leader of Oya High dead in his tracks.  His brown eyes came level with mine.  The dark orbs held so much emotion; this time none of it was hidden behind a steel mask.  None of it was barred away.  It was all there.  Every little thing, open for me to see.  There was pain, worry, betrayal, hurt, but there was something else . . . something else that caused my brow to furrow and my heart to turn back on itself.

     He did not say anything, but he did not need to.  As he cradled me close to his chest and hoisted himself to his feet.  A resolute expression adorning his features as he carried me bridal style through the compound.

     My head lolled to the side and I was able to vaguely make fights breaking out and carrying on around Murayama as he marched down the long corridor and up a final set of stairs, but no one dared come near.  It was as if they knew not to mess with him.

     When we, at last, broke out into the cool dawn air, crisp with dew and blanketed with low fog.  It clung to the ground, pooling around Murayama's feet like a scene from a movie.  One of my arms was draped over Murayama's hold and hung close to the ground.   The tips of my fingers within reach of the icy cold tentacles of the low mist.  It was refreshingly cool and moist.

     A black jeep roared into view and screeched to a halt.  Seki jumped out from behind the driver's seat, the previous owners of the vehicle nowhere in sight but the few new blood contributions to the man's stained white t-shirt told the story.

     Murayama gently lay me down across the back row of seats.

"Drive, I'll stay back here," the young man climbed in beside me, pulling the car door shut behind him with a loud bang.  "Hold pressure on the wounds," he finished in a whisper laced with worry.  The engine revved us beneath us before shooting forward and racing away.

"My dad-" I tried, choking on my own blood, the hot liquid searing my throat before spewing out my lips and cascading down my cheeks in rivers.  It tasted like metal, but it was salty, so, so salty.

"He'll be okay, Furuya is with him, he'll be fine," said Murayama, but I was not listening.  I could not listen anymore, I could not even register the words. I was too focused on trying to cough out enough blood to free up my throat enough to breathe; the warm substance was thick and clogged my lungs as they burnt for oxygen.

     Panic engulfed my system into haywire, my legs shaking and chest shuddering under spasms.  My wide eyes found Murayama's seeking some kind of comfort.  It was scary.  Dark patches speckled my vision as I slipped in and out of consciousness.  I fought to stay awake, too keep looking into those beautiful eyes now swimming with fear.  He was shouting, but I could not hear him.  One of his hands cupped my face the other clenched my hand so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

     Tears were streaming down his face now, his black hair tossing back and forth as he shook his head in denial.

"Stay with me, Y/N," he quivered, his voice cracking when he continued, "Don't leave me... I-I love you."

     I love you, too, I wanted to confess, but all that came out was a series of gurgles as my blood coated the seat covers in red.  My gaze fell away to the stars and building tops zipping by the window.  Orange lights highlighting the streets before they were whipped out of view.  It was beautiful... Darkness reached out to me again, it's icy tentacles fighting to pull me under; this time I could not hold it back.

I'm sorry...

And then everything went black.

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