The Hinomoto Rebellion (27 page)

Andrea fell to the side, clutching her arm to her. She let out a long, unintelligible string of curses that would have offended even the most hardened criminals before screaming, “I
hate
when they use bullets!”

Something about Andrea’s statement made D jump into action. He was abruptly on his feet in the entryway and racing to the silverhaired
ronin
’s side. D knelt next to Andrea. “Are you going to be alright?” he asked her, his voice filled with concern.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be just great,” Andrea snorted. With that remark, her vision blackened. Andrea struggled to hold on to consciousness, but it was like trying to capture a wraith in a net. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her skin went ashen. The last thing she heard before she tumbled into the darkness was D screaming her name.

Chapter Nine Blood Spilled

D leaned his head back against the wall of Andrea’s room and let out a sigh. Andrea was laying on a futon in the middle of the room, her arm and head wrapped in gauze. The wound on her head had bled a lot, but wasn’t serious. It was the injury on her forearm that caused the most problems by bleeding profusely and almost not stopping while they bandaged it up.

Fushi and 26 had dressed Andrea in an extra outfit that the red-head owned, and then the group carried her to bed. D insisted on watching over her, despite that Roni had begun to protest. Kanjou had quieted her and steered her off to bed as quickly as possible.

It was now nearly dawn. The rest of the team had gone to sleep, or at least they were supposed to be sleeping. D imagined that they were probably doing just what he was right now: sitting up, wide awake.

I’ve never killed anyone before but... I killed that man to save her. I know it was unintentional but I still took his life. I can’t belive I did that. I killed someone, and I don’t feel as bad about it as I should. Should I even feel bad about it? I mean... He was about to kill Andrea,

I couldn’t let that happen.
He glanced at Andrea briefly before looking back toward the ceiling again.
I wonder what made her change her mind. I thought for sure that we’d never see her again but... She came back and saved us.

Andrea stirred a little, causing D to turn his attention back to her. A pained expression worked across her pale face as she arched her back slightly and then turned to face away from him. He watched her with concern until she stopped moving, then leaned his head back again to look up at the spot of pre-dawn light that was filtering through the window and on to the ceiling.

It’s been a long night...

 

D smiled.
She came back... I knew she would. I knew there had to be good in her somewhere,
he thought, glancing back at Andrea.

He stopped, a look of confusion crossing his face and seeping into his mis-matched eyes. He sat forward, then scooted closer to Andrea’s futon. “What in the..?” D wondered aloud. He reached out slowly and moved some of the
ronin
’s silver hair aside.

Across the back of Andrea’s neck, hidden beneath her long silver tresses were several long, coarse scars. The color of them told him that they were fairly old, though he wasn’t sure just how long ago the wounds that caused them had happened. “What happened to you, Andrea?” One of his fingers touched a scar gently.

As though in response to D’s question, she let out a small whimper, her eyebrows knitting together. D put a hand on her head and stroked her hair gently. “Sshh, it’s alright, Andrea. You’re not alone. I’m here,” he cooed in the manner that one would comfort a small child. He ran his hand through her hair again, suprised at how soft it was.

Andrea still shivered and mewled, apparently too weak to actively fight against whatever attacked her in her dreams. Without a thought about possible consequences, D stretched out on the futon next to her and put a comforting arm around her. She stilled, and in no time at all he was fast asleep next to her.

Ryoku stood rigid in front of Yasakuto, doing his best not to move. The Daimyo was as mad as a hornet over the news that the black-haired man had given him a moment ago, and Ryoku tried his best to not do anything else that would anger him.

“That warehouse has some of the most state-of-the-art technology that money can buy in it! The guards are all hand selected and expertly trained! And yet you come here to tell me that all six of them are dead!?” Yasakuto was pacing angrily in front of his window, his face red with rage. “The Aka Ryuu should have fallen easily against superior weapons! The trap was flawless!” He sat down hard in his chair and spun to face Ryoku. “You’re sure it was the
ochiudo
that were there last night?”

Ryoku tried to stand even straighter. “Yes sir. Our mole was leading them directly into the trap. Without Andrea, they should have been easy pickings. But...” Ryoku hesitated.

“What?”

Ryoku reached inside his denim jacket and pulled out a manila envelope. “We planned this with the knowledge that she had abandoned them. Without her, the Aka Ryuu are weak.” He opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. “We found this image on the loading dock’s security camera. It’s small and blurry, but I believe it’s the Tiger just seconds before she destroyed the camera.” Ryoku put the paper down on the Daimyo’s desk.

Yasakuto picked up the print-out and studied it for a minute before allowing a malicious grin to cross his face. “Ryoku, I believe it’s time to start planning a more direct attack on our Aka Ryuu friends,” he hissed the last word, his eyes sparkling malevolently.

D was aware of light in the room, a bright, early-afternoon light that seemed to surround him in a blanket of warmth. With a groan he stirred and opened his gold and blue eyes. He was confused for a moment, unable to remember where he was. As he moved to sit up, a sharp pain coursed through his back from where he had hit the floor after falling and all the events of the evening came rushing back to him.

“Andrea?” he turned to his left, but the futon next to him was empty. His breath caught in his throat.
She left!
He thought while sudden panic made his heart pound.

D jumped to his feet and raced through the temple, checking the recreation room, the training room, and the dining hall for any sign of the silver-haired woman. With each empty room that he searched his spirits fell. Finally, out of desperation he threw open the back doors, prepared to run out to the library.

He stopped short two steps out onto the path, his eyes wide as he looked out toward the lake.

In the middle of the curved bridge, one leg to her chest and the other dangling barefoot over the water, was Andrea. The gentle summer breeze fluttered her waist-length hair out in front of her and sent ripples across the surface of the pond as she stared out at the water, her face blank.

D exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
She stayed...
he thought, walking toward the lake. He paused at the foot of the bridge and when she didn’t move, he stepped gingerly onto the wooden boards of the overpass and walked to her side. He stood next to her, watching her hair flap in the breeze.

“I’m glad you came back,” stated D.

Andrea made no move to answer him but continued to stare out at the water, her chin resting on the arm that was on the support of the bridge. D sat down next to her and dangled his own legs out over the water as well. He waited patiently for her to make the next move.

After several minutes of silence, Andrea spoke. “I have no noble cause,” she said blankly.

 

“What?”

She made a soft sound that was almost like a sigh. “You all have some cause to fight for. I don’t. You use your skills at martial arts for good. I don’t fight for peace, or justice, or the good of masses. I fight for my next meal. I used to fight because it was the only way to keep things in line at Tony’s Place.” She sounded sorrowful. “How can you all still believe in me? How can you put your trust in someone who cares for no one but herself?”

D chuckled. “No offense meant, Andrea, but there was no meal involved in the warehouse raid, and you sure as to hell weren’t only caring about yourself when you raced in there. If you hadn’t shown up when you did we’d all have been killed. You saved our lives.”

“But I also turned my back on you all! Aren’t you even a little angry at me for that?” she finally turned to look at D, a mixture of anger, disbelief, and sadness in her eyes.

D paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, taking a deep breath. “I think that the moment you left, we forgave you. You must have had a good reason, and we understand that. At least,
I
do. The important thing is that you came when we needed you. We owe you our lives for that.”

Andrea stared at him for a moment, then turned back to look out at the water. D stared at the side of her face for a few minutes before asking, “Why
did
you come back?”

Her brows furrowed and she frowned. “I... After I left I went back to the dojo where I learned martial arts. After three days there I realized I didn’t belong. I straightened it up, cleaned it, slept in it, but I wasn’t a part of it anymore.” She paused, her expression becoming more serious. “I thought it would be a good idea to go there. I used to walk into that place and it felt like a... Like a home almost. It was someplace where I was understood and respected. Now, it’s empty. There’s no heart in it anymore.” She turned away for a moment, her voice dropping to a whisper. “It’s an empty shell now, just like Tony’s Place... and just like me.”

The Tiger turned back to D, her jaw set and her eyes steely. “I realized that I have only two ways to take back my life. I can leave Shibasaki and start over somewhere else, or I can try to show the government that they can’t just ruin the lives of whoever they want. Since I’m too damn stubborn to leave the city, I guess I’ve only got one option left.” She put her left hand up to her forehead, rubbing the bandage that was there. “I’ve been running away from my troubles ever since I was six years old. I ran from Tony’s Place. I ran from the Shark’s Den. I ran from all of you. Every time I run, it only makes things worse in the end. It’s time to stop running,” She sighed. “Time to stand up and face what’s wrong.”

D couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as she spoke. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said. This was the side of her he’d been hoping to find: the side that cared about those around her. D was sure that this was the part of herself she hid underneath the insensitive and stony exterior she showed the world. “And Andrea?” he said, leaning closer to her.

Her eyes widened some as he closed the gap between them. “Yes?” she said, her voice quavering as his face came close to hers.

“It’s so much better to see you this way,” he whispered. The sun was gleaming off the silver hair that fluttered around Andrea’s face like a river of liquid metal. Her blue eyes filled D’s vision as he leaned in close to her. Andrea’s silver brows arched high, her eyes full of questions. Her arm twitched with the impulse to punch him directly in the nose, but she tried to maintain control of it. She leaned back, trying to convince herself that he wasn’t about to do what she thought he was going to do.

“ANDREA!”

D’s face pulled away as a shout came from the back door. The two
ronin
looked over and saw Roni running across the grass toward them. Fushicho and 26 were standing at the back door while Kanjou was walking a few paces behind the pig-tailed girl. Mentally thankful for the distraction, Andrea managed to get to her feet just before Roni tackled her and sent her sprawling on the boards of the bridge.