Chapter Text
Hasegawa glanced down at Kamimura's sour expression. The blue haired boy was splayed out in his bed with an obvious sweat clouding his forehead. His cyan hair stuck haphazardly to his ghostly pale skin. After eating breakfast, Kamimura had practically dragged himself towards his room with Hasegawa following behind worriedly.
Half a dozen blanks were wrapped around the crime scene cleaners small frame along with the others dark grey, floral jacket nested gently on his shoulders. As temperatures dropped, Kamimura's health only depleted more and more.
"A-Are you sure there is nothing more I can get you..?" The tapping of Hasegawa's dress shoes against the floor filled the deafening silence after his question. Three glasses of water sat almost untouched on Kamimura's night stand.
The latter sat in silence for a stretching while. He lifted his head — ever so slightly — and gave Hasegawa the most scathing glare a man in his position could muster.
Kamimura had been flickering in and out of consciousness all morning. The previous day, the absence of his key caused immense irritation in him. No matter how hard he and Hasegawa, who insisted prominently to assist him, tried; the item was nowhere to be seen.
With the brunette's room being the seemingly only viable option, Kamimura decided to deal with the turmoil which lurked all over the floor.
Normally, when Kamimura's body decided to stop working more than the bare necessity, he would allow himself to rot pitifully in his bed; listening to the ruckus of his television in the background on his own. Things were completely fine on his own.
Now that he had a shy, altruist man constantly following him around everywhere he went, it was far out of his normality zone. Now that he had somewhere truly there for him. A man who helped because he wanted to, not out of pity.
Kamimura can't recall a time he had felt worse. The man had been used to collapsing at a slight scare or not being able to move at all for multiple hours a time. However, right now his entire being throbbed with a chronic pain that he could do nothing more than sit around and deal with. He felt freezing cold and boiling hot at the same time. His brain banged at his skull like a imprisoned ox and his limbs were completely unusable.
At least now he wouldn't bare it alone.
Shortly after, Kamimura drifted back off to a long daze. Because of his current condition, it felt impossible to comfortably fall asleep. Hasegawa remained in place, he quietly rubbed his sweaty hands against his thighs in a meek attempt to calm his nerves.
He had never met anyone quite like Kamimura. Nor did someone other than his sister stay with him like the bluenette had. Hasegawa was used to sitting alone in his room, studying and cramming all the information he could into his brain.
He'd watch as his classmates made plans together in large groups, laughing and giggling together. They'd shoot small glances in his direction before immediately hacking in fits of laughter to their friends.
The quiz-show champion swatted the pessimistic thoughts which quickly flooded through his brain when a quiet rattle echoed throughout Kamimura's bedroom.
Hasegawa's leg froze in place and his hands suddenly became dry and cold. The doorknob shook and squirmed in place of the doorframe; adding a further layer of anxiety to bundle over his shoulders.
Eventually, the door let out a soft click. Hasegawa waited in anticipation as he stared at the door. His body refused to blink or breathe. His hands began to mercilessly dig into the fabric of his pants.
His eyes turned mechanically over to the bed which he sat next to. He wasn't sure if Kazutoshi was conscious. And, if he were, was he able to hear everything going on too?
He seemed so peaceful, unlike his normal scowling expression. Perhaps he had actually managed to fall asleep during the pain? Hasegawa hoped so. Kazutoshi was the most amazing person he knew, he wanted more than anything for the shorter male to be at peace.
The front door slammed shut loudly. It caused Kamimura to stir slightly, still unable to move his body at all. When had the door opened? He was just glad that Kamimura hadn't completely woken up.
Wait.
Hasegawa's eyes shot open at his realisation. If the door had not only rattled, but opened, that meant that someone other than Kamimura and himself had access to his room key.
He immediately jumped up and rammed open the night stand drawer of the sleeping boy next to him. There his silver keys sat neatly organised in a row followed by a wildlife discovery book -belonging to Hasegawa- and an old photo encased in a paper bag.
He dared not touch the photo without Kamimura's permission.
Kamimura's key was right there infront of him. It simmered and glistened under the headache inducing artificial light. He wondered how that person, if there were one, managed to get in.
Had he left the door unlocked? Maybe a gust of wind blew it open and closed it once more. Hasegawa felt compelled stay by Kamimura's side. And so that is exactly what he did.
He continued to watch over the other for an unknown amount of time. He refrained from undergoing any other external stimuli such as reading, studying or leaving to make a cup of bitter coffee.
His light brown eyes were completely fixed on that head of beautiful hair. Although, admittedly, Hasegawa was only half conscious. He was awake enough to notice if the boy were to stir or if anyone else were to enter the room. But he also allowed for his mind to temporarily drift outwards to other things.
He desperately wanted to know who exactly could have access to Kamimura's room. The rabbit certainly did, he deciphered. But if it wanted to enter his room, couldn't it just teleport inside? It had no need to rattle the lock and creak the door open only to slam it shut again during Hasegawa's short panic.
He shook his head rapidly, making himself a little dizzy in the process. He concluded that he shouldn't think about it so much and his earlier thought about leaving the door slightly open must have been correct.
Hasegawa's yawn ruptured through the bittersweet silence around him. He didn't want to disturb Kamimura's rest, especially since it had been so hard for him to fall into unconsciousness. He promised that once the two of them escaped this madness, Hasegawa would fund Kamimura's entire medical plan. He did not care at all how much it all costed, nor how much Kamimura yelled at him in rebuttal.
The taller man bent his body over Kamimura's bed and scrunched his hands over one of his many blankets. The permafrost in the air nipped at the top of his bare arms like a thorned nettle vine. The warmness of the bed, of Kamimura's small amount of body heat, hugged his underarms.
Hasegawa let a small smile leave his lips as he pressed the side of his head into the same warmth. His eyes finally began to close, savouring the comfortability of his position.
Kamimura's eyes flickered open, a sharp pain immediately infiltrating his intestines. His eyelids fought to stay open and his arms remained stationary at his sides. And yet, he gave up on trying to resist his body's urge to shut down completely. His stomach rumbled vigorously.
He felt a strong pressure against his lower legs. It was unlike the rest of his body. As he groaned audibly, the pressure towards the end of his bed rustled and sat up. A head full of messy brown hair peaked up over his blankets and a long, curly ahoge sprung up apon the eye contact.
"K-Kazutoshi..? Are you awake?"
Kamimura looked at his facial features like he were holding an investigation. The way his eyes shone with such hope and desperation and the way his strong arms held up his torso to look over the other's nest of blankets.
Kamimura gathered all of the energy stored in his body to muster out his response.
"Y-Yeah. I'm so fucking hungry.."
Hasegawa immediately sprung into action — he jumped up from the bed and straightened his dress shirt from the wrinkles pressed into it. With each passing second, he seemed to liven up just thinking about being of service to the crimson-eyed man.
"Right! O-of course! I can make you something simple! I-I'm pretty sure you ate the rest of Hayashi's food from yesterday.."
Kamimura's stomach squealed in agony at the thought of eating food prepared by him. With Hasegawa's history of burnt cooking, he could already feel his insides ripping themselves apart.
Unfortunately, it seemed that he had no other choice.
"Okay.."
His throat was unbearably dry. Kamimura's voice came out strained, scratchy and weak. He felt weak. His eyes looked to the side as his entire face seemed to droop downwards.
Hasegawa noticed his distress quickly. The taller took a few small steps forward to run a gentle hand through a head of bright blue locks. The hair was still so smooth and silky, even through the condition of its owner. He let his hand linger on Kamimura's head for a while. He almost didn't want to pull it away. Kamimura himself seemed content with the action, aswell.
Once he remembered the meal he had to prepare, Hasegawa drifted away from the other reluctantly and grabbed Kamimura's door keys. On the off chance that another person had complete and total reign over entering the room, Hasegawa hurried out to rapidly fetch a suitable meal.
Pacing down the white hallways, Hasegawa saw a couple other students gravitating into the dining hall simultaneously. How long had he and Kamimura slept? He recalled only resting for a few minutes.
The double doors connecting the hallway to the dining hall were large and luxurious. They were a deep royal blue colour with a gold plant design painted onto its base. It had been rather unfitting for a school.
Hasegawa pushed open the doors with a little less force than he had meant to use — the left door banging against its frame which refused to let it go any further.
Around three quarters of the remaining student body lingered inside. They had been sat around a large, white oval-shaped table in various spaces and gaps. They held plates full of various breakfast items such as sausages, toast and poached eggs.
Hasegawa glided past the table swiftly. With how loud the dining room was, he wanted to get in and out as quick as he possibly could. He quickly came to a stop when a small hand grabbed his arm.
"Hasegawa! Wait up a second!"
Tamba straightened herself up infront of him. The gymnast had clearly noticed him sneaking by and burst out of her chair at the table. Hasegawa connected his hands at his front of his torso, glancing down at both of their shoes.
"Y-Yes? Is something the matter..?"
He noticed as Tamba placed both of her hands to her hips and attempted to catch his eyes in her stare. Hasegawa remained persistent in his action.
"Well, duh! Do you know where Toshi is? The two of you are practically always together!"
"He's just in his room right now.."
"Huh? Why? Is he sick or something?"
Hasegawa knew how much Kamimura disliked anyone knowing about his current condition. The prior seemed to be an exception to that rule.
"Not really.. H-He's just tired today."
Tamba said something in reply. However, the brunette couldn't help but notice the way the goosebumps covering his arms and neck pulsed violently. When the hair on the nape on his neck stood proudly and electrical circuits raced through him in one go.
Hasegawa felt like prey to a higher animal. Like a pair of eyes waiting to pounce on an unknowing sparrow. They lingered on him for a long time, memorising his every moment, pondering its way to strike.
He couldn't bring it in himself to turn around and face the viscous predator. Like a deer in headlights, he remained frozen in his place. The brown eyed man thought about letting it happen. If the predator were to strike him, maybe it would be better to bare his neck to it and accept his fate.
He felt cowardly. Its eyes refused to leave his body; analysing him thoroughly. He felt exposed. He felt sweaty. He felt out of place. Hasegawa wanted to leave, he wanted nothing more than to fetch Kamimura something to eat and run away.
To squirm away from the eyes and imaginatively-forged hands pinning his body. He had to leave.
"Hasegawa..?"
At the mention of his name, Hasegawa only felt more tense. Tamba now stood much less confidently infront of him. She reached for his shoulder.
"S-Sorry! I-I have something I need to do!" He pulled away from the blonde and made a bolt for the kitchen, desperate to get the animals stare off of his powerless frame.
Tamba stared at him in a combined state of worry and shock. She decided against following after him and timidly returned to her seat next to Hayashi.
The kitchen was much emptier, thankfully. It was rather small and had various pots, plates and pans filling the sink from breakfast. Hasegawa's breathing became more regulated; his shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
He had a mental note of Kamimura's entire dietary restriction. Glancing around at the kitchen cabinets, he also recalled having no mental note on knowing how to 'cook' something beyond a bowl of soggy cereal.
He continued to stare blankly at the ingredients in the cabinet as a light pair of footsteps sounded behind him. They were bubbly, as if the person were skipping merrily towards him. It was oddly comforting.
Hasegawa turned his head over his shoulder timidly. His eyes softened apon seeing the person approaching him. Her bright outfit and cape flowed in the air like the sun shining over an array of thunder.
"Tsuno? What are you doing here..?"
Tsuno stepped confidently to his side and looked up at the shelf Hasegawa was previously staring at.
"I made breakfast not too long ago for the group! I wasn't aware that you'd be here, did you want some?"
"Oh! N-No.. I'm alright, thank you. I was just going to prepare something for Kazutoshi..."
Tsuno's smile only brightened which each passing second. Hasegawa felt himself being a little envious of how positive she was constantly. He stepped to the side so the superhero could get a better view of the ingredient cabinet.
"That's so sweet of you, Hasegawa! What were you going to make?"
Hasegawa laughed awkwardly, placing his right hand to his left arm.
"Well.. I'm not actually sure. I really don't cook often."
Tsuno put a hand to her chin. Her long, multicoloured hair flowed elegantly around her body. After a couple moments, she snapped her fingers and let out an audible 'Aha!'.
"Even if Kamimura ate Hayashi's custom soup yesterday, I'm sure we could make a different one he would like! Soups can be extremely diverse!" She turned her body to face him, "I can help you out with it, aswell!"
"Really? Thank you, Tsuno..!"
"Of course! Call me Manami!"
Hasegawa smiled and let out a comfortable sigh.
"Right. You can call me Ken.."
Tsuno began to grab various ingredients from the shelves, placing them all out onto the counter in an organised fashion. Hasegawa looked in awe at her haste.
"Let's get to work, Ken!"
The pair sprung into action after deciding what they would prepare for Kamimura. A steamed vegetable soup with a couple miscellaneous seasonings and spices — which Hasegawa made sure were completely safe for consumption by the crime scene cleaner.
Tsuno had put herself in charge of cutting vegetables and organising them into the steamer to cook them thoroughly before adding them into the soup base.
Hasegawa had been left with the responsibility of preparing the base. He followed Tsuno's precise instructions perfectly, boiling hearty vegetables into a thick, beautifully green broth.
The soft ping of the vegetable steamer signaled for the ingredients to be added to Hasegawa's broth. Tsuno shook some seasoning canisters into the pot as Hasegawa watched with sparkling eyes. He felt proud of his work, blessing Tsuno internally for her immense help.
The soup began to turn a reddish shade of brown. Occasionally, a visitor would come to accompany them and compliment the pairs cooking. They were often lured in by the strong, salivating smell wafting out of the kitchen.
The lid of the pot closed over the soup as Tsuno wiped a small sweat from her forehead. He glanced over at Hasegawa, the two making comfortable eye contact for a few seconds before the latter pulled away.
Hasegawa had never felt so prideful in his entire life, it seemed. He would definitely make Tsuno a thank-you gift soon enough to thank her for the work she did.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me, Manami.."
Tsuno just chuckled slightly. She explained how he had done most of the important work and how she had just 'supervised slightly'.
Even if the boy didn't believe her, he gave her a bright smile and felt his cheeks becoming hotter at her compliments.
Finally, the soup was complete. Hasegawa dished it up as professionally as he could; making sure that the edges of the bowl were cleaned up of any spillage.
He carried the bowl and spoon in a cloth to protect his hands from any burns the soup may cause him. Many shades of red swirled around the top of the bowl in an arrangement simular to an abstract painting.
He thanked Tsuno again for her service and took off back to Kamimura. By now, the boy must have been starving.
He walked through the halls giddily and did his best to prevent the soup from spilling even the slightest amount. The aroma lifted up to his nostrils, dancing around his entire body.
Hasegawa passed each dorm before eventually reaching Kamimura's at the end of the hall. Being unable to contain his excitement, he tapped his foot against the ground as he attempted to shove the other man's key into the lock.
He eventually managed to get the door open and thrusted it open with his knee. The brunette held up the soup with one arm and trotted over to Kamimura's bed.
Kamimura glanced over as he heard the rustling of the door. As soon as it opened, scents full of spices and dozens of foods flooded the bedroom. Kamimura shot up in his bed immediately; causing a stabbing pain to shoot through his lower back.
"Holy shit! Did you make that?!" Kamimura refused to believe it. He assumed Hasegawa had just burnt the same slice of bread eighteen times, causing him to take multiple hours to return.
"Manami helped me make it. I'm sorry I took so long..!"
"Since when are you calling her Manami?"
"S-She said I could while we were cooking together..!"
Hasegawa gave up on trying to remain calm as he practically thrusted the bowl into Kamimura's freezing cold arms.
He carefully took the spoon from Hasegawa and dipped it into the mix of boiled vegetables and herbs.
Hasegawa clasped his hands together in anticipation and stared down at Kamimura as he lifted the meal to his lips.
The quiz show champion was simular to a tail-wagging dog waiting for its owner to throw a squeaky toy. Kamimura felt his body heat up slightly thinking about it.
As soon as the mixture entered his mouth, Kamimura practically felt his soul ascend from his mortal body. The vegetables melted on his tongue along with the rich savoury flavour of the broth. He felt the tears well up in his eyes as he closed them in delight.
"K-Ken.."
Hasegawa tensed up at his change in tone.
"I-Is something wrong?! Is it bad..?!"
Kamimura's eyes opened up once more. He looked at Hasegawa in desperation.
"Never.. let me underestimate you again.." He seemed to immediately liven up. The colour slowly returned to his body with each bite he took of the soup quickly depleting in size from the bowl infront of him.
Hasegawa huffed his worry away immediately. He sat on the side of Kamimura's bed, watching him devour the contents of the bowl in a matter of minutes.
Kamimura held the bowl close to his body after finishing the meal to savour its warmth. The two sat in silence for a while.
When the grace period ended, Kamimura noticed how grimey his body actually was. He hadn't showered in what felt like centuries, he felt his teeth rotting away and he didn't dare to feel his hair. He was absolutely disgusting right now.
He picked at Hasegawa's blazer, which was still wrapped around his shoulders. His body was completely useless. It was unable to do anything above the necessity to barely survive.
How did Hasegawa even put up with him? What was there to like about a person like Kamimura? He was selfish, sarcastic, ugly and disabled. Hasegawa gained absolutely nothing from being around him. He gained nothing from spending hours making him delicious food or pampering him.
He noticed Hasegawa's glare and scowled. Kamimura hated being treated like he was useless, even if he knew deep down that he was.
He was able to survive on his own for almost a decade now. And yet, Hasegawa acted like a care worker for a man who couldn't breathe without constant support. The warmth of the soup in his mouth suddenly became cold and bitter.
Hasegawa swung his legs innocently off the side of the bed, examining Kamimura's angered features. He tilted his head towards the now empty glasses next to Kamimura's bed and came to quick conclusion.
"What's wrong? Do you need more water?"
"No, Ken. I don't need anything." Kamimura immediately snapped back. The words came out louder than he wanted them to. His vibrant eyes looked up at the man sitting on his bed, dirtying his bedsheets.
Hasegawa stiffened up slightly at his harsh tone. His legs stopped moving and his eyes glanced downwards.
"A-Are you sure?"
Kamimura sighed loudly. "Yeah. It just really fuckin' sucks knowing there are days where I really can't do things on my own; it's pathetic."
The other boy thought for a moment, swiftly understanding what he was upset about.
"Well, it's alright. On those days where you are less able to do something, I can help you."
"I don't need you to fucking baby me, Ke-"
"I'm not babying you!" Hasegawa said a little more aggressively than he meant to. "I-I'm doing this because I want to! I know that you're able to survive on your own. But.. I don't want you to just 'survive', I want you to live. I want you to live because I care about you!"
Kamimura's eyes blinked at him slowly. His body relaxed as he put his hands together to pick at his already chipped nail polish.
"Y-Yeah.. I know. I'm sorry, I'm just really pissed off today. I didn't mean to snap at you.. like that.."
Hasegawa leaned in a little closer. He placed a hand on Kamimura's small shoulders to stabilise himself and wrapped his arms around the bluenettes entire frame.
Kamimura immediately reciprocated. The hug lingered for a couple comfortable seconds before they pulled away and looked into eachothers eyes.
Things were fine, they thought mutually. Despite the frosted air, the pair felt warm in eachothers embrace. The blankets covering Kamimura rustled slightly as they maneuvered around. The heat Hasegawa let off made the boy fixated in his eyes a little jealous.
"I think I'm 'gonna get myself some water.." Kamimura broke the silence. His body shivered as he slipped the blankets off himself.
Hasegawa pushed them back onto his body with a chuckle. "No.. It's okay..! Let me 'baby you'! I'll get it!"
"Asshole..!" Kamimura couldn't keep in his laugh when he weakly flicked his arm, Hasegawa making an exaggerated yelp at the contact.
He pulled himself off of Kamimura's bed and stretched his arms above his head. If it meant that the crime scene cleaner would be okay, Hasegawa would take hundreds of kitchen trips. When he closed the door after himself, Kamimura pressed his legs to his face and released the flustered gasp he kept chained in his body.
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The door to the school kitchen let out a faint squeal in the silent night. Hasegawa peered into the dark room, not bothering to flick on the light.
The space was completely bare of life. The corners of the walls were swallowed by the darkness with just the near distance being illuminated under Hasegawa's dilated pupils.
He got a slight sense of deja-vú apon stepping through the doorway, the brunette hoped that Kamimura was able to recover soon. As much as he enjoyed being of service to those entrancing red eyes, he hated more than anything seeing a poor expression on those rosy lips.
The only sound which gently echoed throughout the kitchen were the quiet thrum of the refrigerator and the slow thump of Hasegawa's heart. It was deep and passionate, simular to the bass of an electric drum.
The teen was now long accustomed to the layout of the basement floor; every shelf and cabinet was committed to his memory. It proved well in his favour, he thought, as he stoicly walked straight to the cabinets above the kitchen sink.
His slim fingers ran across each surface until it crossed the sixth groove, pulling open the small doors with little to no resistance. Inside were several shiny glass cups organised in straight rows.
Hasegawa was hypervigulant of every sound twirling around his lithe body. The clack of the cabinet closing once more, the swueak of the tap as he turned it on, the flowing of the water into the glass, the electric signals running down his spine all of a sudden.
Hasegawa froze. The same eerie presence that had bore it's teeth into his neck far earlier in the day came back in a tunnelling wave, crashing through his hollow brain.
The water soon gushed over the rim of the glass his white knuckles encased. The cold water swallowed his forearm and only chained him down further like a bone crushing bear trap.
It's footing was completely silent. Hasegawa could only tell it was approaching when it's presence only intensified tenfold. Only the quiet swish of fabric could be heard over the brunette's ragged breathing.
In one gust of blood-pumping confidence, Hasegawa slammed the cup into the counter and forced his body to turn towards whatever organism hunted him. Light brown pupils, blown dark in the comfort of the night, made contact with the other being in the room.
It's stance was straight and still, standing roughly five feet away from Hasegawa's hunched form. It was just a few inches shorter than him. And yet, the suited man felt frail in its presence. The more his eyes adjusted to the sharp turn he performed, the more familiar the figure was.
Multiple layers of sleek fabric coated her bandaged limbs. Her hair — coloured similarly to his own — sat haphazardly behind her white porcelain mask. A rabid fox in the night, cornering its oversized prey.
"Hello, Hasegawa." Her body remained unchanged. Even the movement of her jaw hid completely behind that perfectly painted mask. A voice so careful, so calculated in each syllable uttered could only belong to one individual.
"O-Okazaki. When did you get here?"
"A little after you, I got a little thirsty." She spoke in a fast pace, not giving Hasegawa any time to let his own words linger in the air.
Her dress shoes made no noise against the kitchen floor when she drifted next to him at the sink. Hasegawa felt the saliva clog in his throat and oesophagus. Every passing second was only another band of anxiety wrapped around his arms, binding him together.
Binding him to her.
Her coat was thick and soft, pressing against his upper arm and part of his calves. The two of them stood solemnly for a short while; the occasional whirl of fabric being heard between them both.
When Okazaki spoke again, her words were venomous. "I hope Kamimura gets well soon. Send him my regards." The two simple sentences came out so calmly, like she barely even cared about the information she just shared.
Hasegawa's head turned sharply towards the side of the neutral expression her mask always portrayed. He hadn't told anyone that Kamimura had fallen sick.
"H-How do you know that..?!"
She placed down the glass in her hand and turned towards him. They both now stood parallel to eachother. Hasegawa attempted to peer through the slits of her eye holes, only to find a vast emptiness within them.
"Hm? Isn't it only safe to assume that he isn't feeling well? Nobody has seen him today and you've been fetching all of his meals like a well-trained dog."
The boy decided to ignore the aggressive insult directed at him and took a stern step towards Okazaki. She did not flinch.
"Okazaki.."
"Yes?"
Hasegawa clenched the bottom of his untucked shirt, paranoia swimming through his limbs as he attempted to steady his facial expression with little progression.
"How.. did you know that." He did his best to keep his stutter contained deep inside his chest; taking a moment to pause and think precisely about his words.
Okazaki hummed in response before giving her reply.
"At what point did he start feeling sick?"
Hasegawa stilled, thrown off by the randomness of her question reflected at his own.
"What?"
"I said, 'At what point did he start feeling sick?'."
"I don't understand, why does that matte-"
"Answer the question."
Hasegawa attempted to examine her body language while he took her question into account. She was completely still. Like an animal attempting to fool its meal.
He thought back to when Kamimura had actually began showing symptoms of his worsening illness. They were just walking back to their dorm rooms after Kamimura finished eating his leftovers from Hayashi-
.
.
.
.
.
.
Okazaki's chuckle concluded his thoughts. His expression must have said enough about what he had found out. He tried, once again, to get a glance into her eyes. To get any confirmation on the fox's true emotions. He got no answer.
"Y-You didn't. Okazaki, tell me you didn't fucking do that."
"Do what? Are you feeling alright?" Hasegawa could hear the smile behind her mask. He leaped towards her and grabbed the fur decorating the shoulder-line of her coat. Okazaki kept her balance by holding onto his sleeve tightly.
"Y-You.. What the fuck did you put in there." Hasegawa heard his voice crack under the severe blanket of nausea he suddenly experienced.
"The chemistry lab is really efficient, Y'know. I'm sorry if you wanted to do any more testing with the rohypnol.."
After each word the mask artisan said, she seemed to just become more and more exicted. Her hold on his wrists maneuvered to the crease of arms, using her thumb to stroke the flexed muscle there tentatively. The touch burnt his skin. It sent a red-hot seering pain down his body; far worse than any iron Hama could force against his back.
He thought back to Kamimura. Each time the boy weakly tossed and turned in his sleep, it was her fault. Each time he told Hasegawa how useless he felt in his condition, it was her fault. Each time Hasegawa felt his heart chipping away as Kamimura groaned painfully with each movement, it was all her fault. It was always her fault.
He slammed her onto the ground before he could comprehend himself. This was her fault. Hasegawa wrapped his toned arms around the predator's bandaged neck. This was all her fault. He watched as the pulse throbbing through her body fluctuated under the pressure of his hands. This was all her fault.
She kicked and slapped at his limbs in an attempt to squirm away. After a few seconds, she got an idea.
Through her timid whines, she let out a weak remark.
"You k-know.. Even before I got here.. K-Kamimura's been alone for quite a w-while.."
Hasegawa blanked. For just a moment, his hands loosened around her pulse point and his body slipped off of her. That was all the time she needed.
An intense pain in the quiz-show champion's gut swelled when Okazaki's foot collided with his body with all of the strength she could muster. He collapsed to her side with a strained choke. The pain rose through his lower abdomen and coursed through his legs and lungs.
Okazaki leaped up from her position and got to her feet. Hasegawa watched as she stood over his body in a wide stance.
Was this it? Was the fox finally about to pounce onto its defensive prey and dig its claws deep into his bruised stomach? Right as he closed his eyes, his luck seemed to max out.
"Hanano?! Where did you gooo!~" Watari called out playfully from the hallway. At the mention of her name, the hungry fox peeked around her shoulder and giggled out loud.
"Awh man. I thought we'd get some more quality time together. Maybe next time, birdie!" Okazaki chirped.
It was then that Hasegawa looked up completely towards her body when she slowly gravitated towards the kitchen door. Okazaki looked right back at him with her mask in her right hand.
Her grey eyes shone like diamonds, juxtaposing almost elegantly with the dark colours surrounding them. A wide, sadistic smile was stitched onto her lips. A single snaggletooth stuck out from her canines. The stars in her eyes spun when the two made a few seconds of eye contact. Hasegawa forced himself to tear his eyes away from the beast.
"I-I.. I'm going to kill you, Okazaki." His speech sliced through the air, voice rasping.
The red in her blood congregated towards her cheeks. A furious blush overcame her before she gracefully slipped the mask back on.
"I know. And I can't wait to watch it happen."
With that, Okazaki Hanano disappeared into the night. Her long, luscious coat swept through the kitchen doors one final time and Hasegawa was once again alone in the room.
He slowly got to his feet and retrieved the slightly overfilled glass behind him. The sides of the glass were wet from earliers events.
No matter what happened, the brunette thought, Kamimura was going to survive.
He wouldn't let him die.