• CHAPTER 113 - INTIMATE VIOLENCE

    All of this because I'm protecting a child? Somebody seriously needs to take a breather.

    At one second, a poignant pain stabbed my chest, leaving me breathless, and the next second was black, and the second after that, I was lying on my back on the alley ground. Kira and Ai were looking down at me in panic and Kai sounded as though he was fighting. Mayura rushed past and Hitoshi followed shortly behind her. Kai dropped onto his knees next to me--with a cut on his left cheek--and he cupped my face with his hands. My body was writhing in pain and I groaned continuously.

    Against everybody's wills, I sat up to observe the damage; my shirt was drenched in my blood and the more I moved, the more my chest burned and stung. I grazed my fingers over the area where the worst pain was and there was a small stub sticking out; it was the bullet from Mayura's gun.

    "Oh God," I breathed as Kai laid me back down on the ground. "Oh God, oh God, oh God..."

    "You'll be okay, you'll be okay," Kai cupped my face again. "It's a Necromantic Hunter gun; it won't kill you."

    "Oh God, take it out," I gasped. "It hurts..."

    "Kira, take Ai and start the car and drive it here. Quick." Kai demanded and half a second after Kai ordered, Kira had grasped Ai and teleported to wherever the car was.

    I cupped one of my hands over Kai's hand that caressed my cheek, "It hurts, it hurts," I bit my lip hard and released a tear or two. "I feel like I'm going to die."

    "It hurts just like a wound that would kill you," he admitted regrettably, "but since it's a Necromantic Hunter gun, it won't kill you."

    "How can I...not die from...bleeding?"

    "I don't know how it works; I'm not able to experiment with that." Kai smiled sentimentally at an attempt for a joke.

    "Ohhhh..." I groaned and allowed another tear to slip out of my eyes, writhing at the unbelievable pain. "Kai..."

    As soon as Kai kissed my forehead, the purr of my car's engine approached the end of the alley. I was scooped into Kai's arms and we were teleported into the back seat of my car. The teleportation only worsened the feeling of the bullet halfway into my chest. I managed to clear up my silent tears so that Ai wouldn't worry as much, although she seemed to be scared out of her wits. She repeatedly tried to climb into the back seat but either I would hiss at her to stay up front or Kira would nicely sit her back down on the front seat.

    "It hurts," I groaned and grasped Kai's shirt. "It hurts to breathe..."

    "Just hang tight; we're almost there." he whispered and kissed my sweaty forehead.

    After every heavy breath, the bullet felt as though it was burrowing further and further into my chest. My fingers repeatedly ran over the end of the bullet that nudged out of my chest about three millimeters out of two inches. Kai had to continuously remove my fingers from my chest and he lightly pressed his own fingers against my chest--which the bullet so happened to be lodged in the area between my breasts--to suppress the bleeding.

    Kai was right; we were back at the house within ten minutes. Before the car was even parked, Kai teleported out of the car and into the house and we were followed shortly by Kira teleporting with Ai in his arms. As soon as Kai was halfway into the bedroom with me still in his arms, he glanced back at Kira and Ai after Kira set her down.

    "Kira, stay out in the living room with Ai; I'm going to help Arisa."

    Kira nodded and Kai carried me into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He immediately laid me down on the bed and, without warning, ripped my shirt clean off. He climbed onto the bed above me and he dabbed some sweat off with my shredded shirt and he caressed me.

    "I'm sorry, Arisa, but I have no other way to get the bullet out," he smiled sentimentally.

    Before I was able to ask about his apology, he quickly unhooked my bra from the front and I reacted quick enough to hold my bra in place. Kai leaned in slowly and, with a quick deep breath, he pressed his lips against my chest between my breasts. I gnawed on my lip and my face burned with a deep red color that nearly matched the blood seeping out of my chest and into Kai's mouth.

    "Oh God," I breathed heavily.

    Kai constricted both of his arms around my waist and continued to suck at the blood from the wound. Kai took deep and concentrated breaths but he seemed to be doing more than sucking blood from my chest. It wasn't until Kai's lips pressed harder and the feeling of his teeth rubbing against my skin that I realized he was also attempting to grab the bullet with his teeth. I could only imagine the laughter Kira would be dying from if he saw what was going on and if it wasn't such a painful situation. Kai's teeth continued to rub harder against my chest in a failed attempt to grab what little of the bullet was sticking out and I groaned louder in pain.

    "Kai, it hurts," I groaned and slowly started crying again. "Just leave it in."

    Kai pulled away for a second and stared at the bullet rather than at me, "I can't; if I don't get it out soon, it'll get infected and then you will die." he looked up at me with a warning in his eyes.

    I answered with silence and Kai lowered his head again to press his lips and teeth against my chest once more. I would have covered my mouth to keep from shouting in pain but I had to keep my bra in place. I squirmed under Kai's sturdy body with every sting of scathing pain while Kai continued to try for the bullet. There was a slight but painful tugging in my chest and Kai abruptly pulled his head back, bringing the two-inch bullet with him in between his teeth. I shouted and the tears started up again, only worse. The pain was so incredibly poignant and unbearable; my chest was almost numb but it still hurt so much. Kai dropped the bullet from his mouth into his hand and he caressed me with concern on his face.

    "Arisa, Arisa, are you okay?"

    "No, I'm not okay!" I cried and ran a couple of fingers over the hole in my chest. "It hurts!"

    "Just hang on a moment," he whispered to me before pressing his lips against the hole again.

    For a few minutes, Kai licked the stray blood off of my chest and drank a little bit of blood from the wound. It was deep; I could feel it without a doubt. My eyesight, as usual, was blurring with the loss of blood. I still didn't understand how I couldn't die from bleeding from a Necromantic Hunter gun wound but I wasn't so afraid to pass out that time, except for the pain. So, soon enough, as expected from both Kai and I, I eventually got too worn out and too nauseous and I relaxed myself, shutting my eyes slowly.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    "Uncle Kai? Is Nana okay?" little Ai timidly whispered while finally opening the bedroom door.

    "She's doing okay; just tired." Kai responded.

    I groaned and cracked my eyes open and my arms tightened around Kai's. He was lying behind me with his torso pressed against my back and his arms were constricted around my waist and his lips pressed against my head again. We looked somewhat awkward; Kai was shirtless to lower my fever and rid me of my sweat and I was shirtless with a new bra on so Kai could lower my temperature. I didn't want Ai to catch us cuddling like that, but it wasn't like we had any other choice for me to feel a little better.

    "Nana!" Ai cried out and rushed over to me and she grabbed my hand with her tiny one. She was followed in shortly by Kira who sat on the bed where my knees were.

    "Nana, Nana, I'm so sorry!" Ai cried audibly. "I'm sorry!"

    "No more apologizing," I pat Ai's head. "It's not your fault; it was never your fault."

    "Yes it was, Nana! If you had never found me, you wouldn't be so hurt!" she continued to cry.

    Kira lifted her from the ground and set her on the bed in front of me. Ai continued to cry and she embraced me, careful not to agitate the wound on my chest; the wound was heavily bandaged but it still hurt so much with every breath. Kai nuzzled my neck and kissed the angle of my jaw a few times, cooling me off and making the butterflies mad at the same time. I blushed heavily after thinking of the fact that while I was unconscious, Kai had to bandage the wound that rested between my breasts...which meant he had to remove my bra completely...so that would explain my fresh bra...Oh God...

    "What are you blushing forrrr?" Kira halfway sung, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Did my baby brother finally see your boobies?"

    "Oh, if only Ai wasn't around so I could shoot you with the gun in the dresser," I frowned at Kira.

    "Be my guest," he grinned widely. "But I'm proud of my baby brother."

    "How are you feeling?" Kai asked me over my shoulder, ignoring Kira.

    "It still hurts to breathe; thank you." I peeked back at him and smiled. "Where's the bullet?"

    Kai smiled, "On your necklace with the bullet Akatsuki gave you. As a souvenir."

    I frowned at him but was laughing inside, "How about you put it in a nice little box; I wouldn't want Akatsuki to get angry that I have a bullet on my necklace from the woman that tried to kill me."

    "She couldn't have failed any worse by shooting you with a Necromantic gun," Kira laughed.

    "You're right about that but it hurts like Hell," I sighed and ended up coughing while rubbing the bandages on the wound.

    "Oh, Nana!" Ai gasped in surprise. "Your ring is so pretty! You and uncle Kai are engaged?"

    I smiled faintly, "Since Christmas,"

    "Nana, that's so exciting!" she cheered, doing a good job at distracting me from my pain. "When are you going to marry?"

    I giggled, "We've hardly talked about a wedding since we were engaged; it's almost as though he just stuck a rock on my finger."

    "I could always take it back," Kai complained, the frown in his face was obvious when I wasn't even looking at him.

    "Oh, you know I'm kidding," I giggled again and kissed his cheek.

    I was surprised; Kira didn't seem disturbed anymore whenever Kai and I would be so close to each other. I didn't know if Kira was still in love with me or not, but I was so happy that he didn't appear to be suffering anymore. Maybe he respected Kai's choice and allowed Kai to be with me, seeing as Ayame obviously wasn't trustworthy.

    "So what are we to do about Mayura and Hitoshi?" Kira asked while crossing his arms. "We obviously can't just let them escape."

    "I'd rather find Ai's father first so she won't have to see such violence again," I sighed and Ai squeezed my hand a litte tighter.

    "Nana, I don't want to leave," she pleaded.

    "Ai, I'm not your parent, nor am I responsible or mature enough to act like one," I laughed halfheartedly. "Besides, I'm sure your father misses you."

    Ai's complexion shifted to depression and she crouched over to press her face against my neck, "I do miss daddy; I'm still sorry, Nana."

    I held Ai with one arm and Kai released one arm from around my waist to stroke his fingers against my left bicep. Kira glanced over at us in awe and switched his attention to the outside world with subtly visible rays of the early morning shining through the clouds of night. For a strange moment, it felt like Kai and I actually had our own family. Without Kira visiting, it would just be him, little Ai and I and it would almost be like a family. It was awkward to think about but it was just like playing house like when Aya and I were little, only I was dealing with a real child this time. I used to always pretend to be the child and Aya would always be the mother. This time the roles were switched; Ai was playing the child and I had to be the mother. Not only that, but a father was added into our little game of house.