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Keep it Together

akaikujixyaku:

Ah, good. It wasn’t that she didn’t think he’d be willing to help- there was just some relief to be had that he sounded very determined. She smiled- a welcome turn to her cheeks that she hadn’t expected. Emi knew she couldn’t just keep lying there, or she’d go completely under again. Finally, she was able to pull herself over by the counter, leaning her back against the doors and coughing a bit, exasperated by the motion, taking a second to let her head settle before shaking her head. He couldn’t see that, genius.

“No!.. I can’t… Go to the Hospital… I’ve got to handle it here… They’re probably waiting for… someone with my injury report… it’s… a .32 cal… Heh. I’ve had… worse, I guess… There was some.. shrapnel too, from…" She paused, swallowing and laughing humourlessly, "I’ve already removed the pieces, I just… can’t…" It was from a minor explosion in the warehouse she and a few accomplices had taken down, no big deal, or anything. The Police should be arriving there soon if they responded to her message quite timely.

"I locked the door.. The key is.. tucked behind a loose piece of trim… on the wall." There was a clatter as she tugged the handtowel down off the wall, covering the place of her wound and applying as much pressure as she could, howling a slight at the initial pain before ‘laughing’ it off and biting the inside of her lip, and hissing air out.

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There was a clear red stroke where she’d dragged herself across the tiles. "You remember the room?.. it’s on the third floor. 332 C. Sorry if the place.. is a mess." It was good, really, that she keep talking. Keep herself busy. Something had to keep her awake.

Nice that the first time he’d see the inside of her apartment she’d be shirtless with a towel rack ripped loose from the wall and blood all over the floors. Oh well.

No hospital. .32 caliber. Shrapnel. They’re probably waiting for someone with my injury report.

The detective managed to breathe out his sigh inaudibly, knuckles white as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. So it was one of these situations. He honestly hadn’t expected that from Himura-kun, but then again, she was a brilliant girl and he had a knack for attracting this sort of trouble. 

Fortunately, it meant that he was also quite practiced at dealing with it. And with the information that she’d specified, it sounded like she had as much a handle on the situation as could be hoped for. 

"That’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’m almost there – about three minutes once I get off the motorway." 

The coughing didn’t sound good. Really, Emi sounded exhausted. Pain level estimated at about a seven… possibly an eight. But she was tough. 

"How long have you been bleeding?”

Hakuba was careful to keep his voice as calm and level as possible. He merged into the next lane, then the next, signal on, letting the bmw do its handling as smooth as silk to the exit. Then into the city again, reluctantly reducing speed. 

by

Keep it Together

akaikujixyaku:

Everything was hazy, how long had she been lying here now? The grout on the tiles seemed to blur together as her eyes struggled to focus, becoming increasingly aware of the fact that someone was calling. Thank god. There was no way her thoughts were clear enough to reach Akira. She moved as fast as she could, which wasn’t exactly considerable at the moment, to draw the phone from her pocket, and tried to sit up, but ultimately forsook the motion, flicking the screen a few times, placing the device on loudspeaker, and laying it on the still-white tile next to her, resting her head down again and drawing another unsteady breath.

She’d answered it without checking the name, so she tried to make herself see the name on the screen. Luckily, a ‘hello’ came through before she had to struggle long. “Hakuba… Sama.." Oh god. That voice had come out of her- what had she gone and done this time? It was as if she was withering into the distance, and only a substance of her former self remained. A red pool at the bottom of her vision indicated why that might be so. Shit. She hadn’t gotten up, had she.

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"I- I’m sure that you’re… that.. going somewhere important..

But…. I need…

Help me.. Please.

Home… My apartment..

Haku..ba…”


She turned her forehead against the cold tile, trying to stun some awareness back into herself, but she couldn’t choke anything else out. She moved to grab the phone, scrambling it between her fingers. But she couldn’t get it in herself to pluck out a message. Her senses were slipping again. 

“I’m sorry.. but plea..se hurry.”

Seat belt buckled. One hand clutching the phone, the other tight grip on the steering wheel. Pain, panic, pleading. He started the car. 

“I’m on my way.”

Hakuba stayed on the phone as he backed out of the parking space, calculating the fastest route to the address he had memorized. 

“What kind of injury are we dealing with? Shall I call an ambulance?”

This question was a holdover from dealing with Kid. Always ask; it’s an easy question to answer for most and usually comes with additional details that are useful. And while he didn’t want her to use all of her strength in talking to him, he needed to make sure that she stayed conscious, and he desperately needed more information.

He got off of the city roads and onto the motorway, picking up speed with ease. Hakuba was good at many things, and driving very, very quickly was one of them. His car could handle it, and so long as he kept a level head, so could he. Fortunately, anger and the majority of other strong emotions were something he had broken and beaten into submission long ago.

The detective weaved through traffic, speeding calmly through the artificially lit freeway, through the night.

by

Keep it Together– drabble

akaikujixyaku:

Stumble in through the front door, kicking the door closed behind and throwing the lock with an elbow. Steady against the wall, breathe in, shaky, exhale, stammered. 

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He wasn’t sure what made him want to call her up so soon again, out of the blue. Perhaps it was rereading the journal entries from that night, or the fact that he’d been trying to take her advice. Regardless, parked in the far end of the courthouse parking lot, Hakuba pulled out his phone and dialed Himura Emi’s phone number. 

What did he want, though? The detective realized a little too late that he probably ought to have a specific reason to mention when and if Emi answered. Coffee, maybe? That was a normal thing to do among friends and interested parties, wasn’t it? Yes… Coffee. The perfect excuse for any time, anywhere, and with anyone. 

He let it ring, pleased by his clever ‘plan.’

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…I would treasure you every day, and do all in my power to make sure you knew how wondrous you really are. I’d try to make you laugh, make you smile- leave a puzzle on your desk, and a riddle in your coat to keep you in my company even when I’m not there. Bundle up under blankets with you when you’re sick, and assure you that I will not leave, won’t let you fall, when the world is coming down around you…. But most of that I’ll still try and do, even if you’re never really mine. UvU

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“No one’s… ever said anything like that to me before… Th-thank you, Himura-kun…" 

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"I am truly blessed to have you in my life… in any capacity. The man who finally wins your heart will be a very lucky man indeed."