Your Angel

by Hikaru

Part 3

Rukawa walked silently, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his suitcase.

Sakuragi sighed to himself. Rukawa hadn’t spoken since they got off the train. His questions were usually answered with a nod, shake of a head, or a shrug. Sakuragi couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed with Rukawa’s behaviour. Sakuragi suddenly stopped in front of an empty building.

Rukawa also stopped and waited for Sakuragi to speak.

"Well, this is my place." Sakuragi said, smiling a bit. Rukawa raised an eyebrow. Sakuragi sighed again but kept on smiling."It used to belong to an aunt of mine. She’s gone now and since I have the keys, I’ll be able to crash here for awhile." Sakuragi explained.

Rukawa nodded, understanding.

"I guess this is it then," Sakuragi said, shrugging, "Take care of yourself, Rukawa-san."

Again, Sakuragi held out his hand, waiting for Rukawa’s to be placed in his. Again, Rukawa merely nodded and walked off, never looking back at Sakuragi. Sakuragi shrugged and sighed to himself. ‘ It was worth a try..’

 

Rukawa walked on, not knowing where he was headed. His thoughts were on Sakuragi. Strangely, he felt a bit disappointed that Sakuragi hadn’t invited him to stay over. He shook his head and look onward.

The sky was getting dark. Rukawa took a look at his watch. 7.15p.m.,..no wonder. How long had he’d been walking? He didn’t bother to answer his own question. Instead, he started looking for a place to stay for the night.

Coincidentally, a small inn stood a few blocks away from where Rukawa was standing. Rukawa took out his wallet and counted his money. ‘ There goes my year’s allowance..,’ Rukawa thought miserably to himself as he looked at the inn.

Making his decision, Rukawa headed for the inn.

The inside of the inn wasn’t as bad as it had looked on the outside. Rukawa stood in front of the counter. A lady smiled and greeted him. "Hello….will you be staying here alone?" She asked, looking at the computer monitor.

"Um..yes..actually…" Rukawa started.

Rukawa wasn’t able to finish his sentence. He was about to put down his suitcase when suddenly someone snatched it from his hands and ran out the door. Rukawa ran after the person, leaving the lady staring after him, stunned.

 

It had turned dark all ready. There was no light and no one was in sight. Rukawa ran after the person until he reached a dead-end alley. Rukawa looked around, hoping to see something, anything.

He was shocked when someone hit him from behind, making him fall and momentarally dazed. He quickly turned around and saw someone holding a baseball bat above his head. His suitcase was held in his left hand.

Rukawa shielded himself with his arms as the person raised the bat, ready to strike, when suddenly something swooped down and took the bat away from him.

"No,no,no...I don't think so.."

Rukawa recognised the voice immediately. Relieved, Rukawa backed up against the wall when he suddenly caught sight of something strange on Sakuragi’s back. Rukawa leaned in to take a closer look.

Wings?!

Sakuragi waved the bat in front of the stranger, his eyes daring him to make a move.The person swore to himself, dropped Rukawa’s suitcase and ran off. Rukawa heard Sakuragi snicker as he turned around to face him. The pair of wings on Sakuragi's back folded itself and then disappeared . Rukawa tried to ease his breath as Sakuragi kneeled down to him. "Are you all right?" Sakuragi asked, the look of concern in his eyes.

Rukawa nodded, still shocked.

"I’m not leaving you again. Not after what had just happened. You’re staying with me." Sakuragi said, picking up Rukawa’s suitcase, "Come on…you can get up by yourself, can’t you?"

Was he dreaming or was there a hint of sarcasm in Sakuragi’s voice? Rukawa shook the thought from his mind and got up. He followed Sakuragi out the alley quietly.

Sakuragi gripped the suitcase tighter. Why did he leave Rukawa?! God, that was so irresponsible of him! He was supposed to look out for him and what did he do? Leave him alone..and why? Cause he was pissed off ! Imagine..a guardian angel loosing his patience with his own task. Grumble…This would not look good in his records...

They walked silently back to the building that Sakuragi was staying in. Rukawa looked around the place and couldn’t help but feel a bit astonished. The inside of the house looked as if though someone was still living there. The carpets were well vacumed, the curtains clean, he couldn't spot a single trail of dust. The whole place was in good shape. Sakuragi caught Rukawa staring around the room and smiled to himself.

"Someone usually comes to maintain the place after my aunt died," Sakuragi explained, walking towards the flight of stairs, "Come on, I’ll show you your room."

Rukawa followed Sakuragi, still not speaking. Afraid that he would hear the sarcasm in Sakuragi’s voice again. Funny, why did he even care what Sakuragi thought of him?

His room was located at the end of the corridor to the left. It was furnished with a single bed, table, and chair. Sakuragi placed the suitcase on the floor and gave a key to Rukawa. "Lock your door and window before you go to sleep. This isn’t the most safest neighborhood in Japan." Sakuragi said.

Rukawa nodded and took a seat on the bed. "If you need anything I’m at the other end of the corridor. We’ll probably eat at about eight," Sakuragi said, "You don’t need to unpack. As you can see, there’s no closet and...I don't think we'll be staying here long."

Sakuragi shrugged then continued, "I guess that’s it...remember, dinner at eight." With that, Sakuragi left Rukawa alone in his room.

Rukawa closed the bedroom door and lay on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, decorated with stick-on planets, moons, and stars. Rukawa couldn’t help but think of how his brother would’ve loved a room like this. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and tried to make himself fall asleep.

 

 

 

End part 3

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