[Fanfic] Remember [Chapter 10]
Title: Remember [Chapter 10]
Rating: T
Fandom: Eyeshield 21/CLAMP (Crossover)
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely Riichiro Inagaki and Yuusuke Murata for Eyeshield 21 and CLAMP.
Summary: In a volatile world where even his black book holds no power, Hiruma must help Mamori fight and recover her lost memories before he loses her forever. AU. Crossover. HiruMamo.
Notes: An early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers of this fic! I had initially planned to write this chapter early next year as things have been really hectic, my laptop died on me and my office computer broke down and everything. But with God's wonderful grace, he gave me this chance to write and now, not only am I going to give you one chapter, I am giving you TWO! (Mostly cause it would be too evil to leave you all with a cliffhanger, and I initially planned to only have these two chapters as one, but in the end, it followed the usual format)
So enjoy this special arc and I really hope you have a great Christmas and New Year! It is a blessing to have all you readers and I cannot thank you enough for all the amazing support!
Much love to moodylollipop for once more, going out of her way to edit this fic for me to post it up today. LOVE YOU LOADS!!!
~*~
Someone's arms were around her, covering her almost protectively. She breathed that person in, feeling her skin against his. It was tender, warm, and though she felt exhausted, she also felt more contentment than anything else.
That person was slowly pulling away now, causing Mamori to quickly reach out and place a hand on his face. He firmly placed his left hand on hers affectionately, something shiny caught her attention on his hand, but Mamori couldn't help but cry...
Because no matter how hard she tried, she could not see his face.
Mamori woke up with tears in her eyes, falling softly on her cheek. It was easier to recall her dreams now, but this one disturbed her. She was sure that a veil had been put in place upon this particular person that she so desperately wanted to recall, but she wasn’t sure why.
Had she not regained enough memories for her to recall him? Maybe she would soon?
Rubbing her face dry with her sleeves, and sat up to see the sky was now a deep orange, casting a red glow on the world around her. There were only buildings, from houses to apartments and she was by the side of the road. Hiruma sat beside her, leaning against the wall of someone else's house, but to Mamori's surprise he was still asleep.
Gazing at his peaceful face, Mamori felt a warm, happy feeling fill her heart. She wasn't sure why, it was an odd feeling to have. But the more she thought about Hiruma, the more the warmth continued to grow.
"Were you really something my mind just created?" Mamori whispered. "Or are you something more? I don't know why... but I suddenly feel really glad and blessed to have you with me, especially here..." She reached out a hand towards his face. "I just wish I knew what you really mean to me."
The moment she placed a hand on the side of Hiruma's face, he instantly responded by placing a hand on top of hers. He opened his eyes and Mamori's eyes were locked on his intense green eyes once more, exactly the way he’d looked at her when she first gained consciousness in this world. They were barely breathing, only looking at each other, as if they could find the answers by doing so...
Until Hiruma finally pulled Mamori's hand away from his face, and affixed his usual grin. "Are you checking me out while I'm sleeping?"
"Wha-?" Mamori pulled away from Hiruma, feeling her face now turning warm. She wondered why she felt that way, but words suddenly poured out of her mouth, "D-don't misunderstand me! I was just worried about you! It's the first time you weren't awake when I woke up, so I was worried that something must've been wrong with you and-"
Hiruma cackled, a mixture of mirth and amusement. Mamori calmed down the moment she heard it, although she placed a hand on her heart, wondering what was wrong with it. There were definitely a lot of emotions going through her right now, and it felt awful to not be able to figure it out completely. But there was only one thing she felt certain...
That Hiruma was the cause of her uneasiness.
"Oi, are you still fucking worrying?" Hiruma spoke up, looking at her.
Mamori shook her head. "It's fine... I'll get my answers soon enough, right?" She sighed. "I know it's ridiculous to hold on to that belief, but it's all I have right now."
"Why the fuck do you want to worry about that?" Hiruma got up, holding out a hand towards her. "You have every right to believe that. And I'll see to it that you get your answers. That's why I'm here."
She stared at Hiruma's hand outstretched towards her. Familiar... everything about him felt familiar. But why and how, she still couldn't figure it out. In her confused mind, Hiruma was like an anchor, someone she could depend on when everything in the world around her made no sense. There had to be a reason for this... So as she took Hiruma's hand, Mamori told herself she would figure out more about Hiruma and the reason for his existence here in this world.
Checking their weapons, Mamori took a better look at her surroundings. It felt like they were in a suburban city now, and that this place was far away from her home or the schools she had been to. she wondered when had she come to this place, and what was the significance of being so far away from what she deemed was her usual place, when she suddenly felt a strong pull towards one of the apartment buildings.
"So I'm guessing that's our next fucking destination?" asked Hiruma as he placed his guns away and looked at the direction Mamori was looking at.
"Yeah, I feel something really strong there..." Mamori nodded. "Let's get going."
They brisk walked down the road that would lead them straight towards the apartment, but as they drew closer, Mamori could hear a strange rumbling coming from that direction.
"We're probably going to meet up with something the moment we get there," said Hiruma, who could also hear the rumbling grow louder. "I suggest you get ready."
Nodding, Mamori brandished her sword in her hands, taking firm cautious steps forward. The apartment was now just beyond the corner, the rumbling was now distinctively a growl. Whatever it was, Mamori was certain it was something big and menacing.
They stood by the corner and silently peeked to see what could be in front of the apartment. Mamori gasped as she saw a gigantic brown dog with stumpy legs. Its eyes were closed but its snores were the loud growls they could hear from afar.
"There's no way we can sneak past it," Hiruma murmured. "It’s big fucking ass is blocking the way."
"I think we have to defeat it anyways... that might be what we need to do," Mamori let out a shaky breath. "But I don't like the idea of having to wake it up."
"Do you think it has a weakness?"
Mamori strained her neck a little more from the corner to take a better look at the giant dog. "I think so... I need to get closer to figure it out."
Hiruma nodded. "I'll distract the big mutt then while you figure out its weakness. Let me know if you find one and I'll create an opening for you towards it."
"Isn't it dangerous?" Mamori felt her heart sink as the image of Hiruma getting badly injured flashed before her eyes.
But Hiruma gave her a confident, evil grin. "Kekeke, don't you fucking worry about me. This should be fucking easy."
He was lying. Mamori was so sure of it. But like the many times before, Mamori knew she had little choice but to trust him. "All right... Let's do this."
They finally walked away from the corner, towards the apartment and instantly the dog's ears perked up. Mamori also realised that there was something wrong with the dog, but as the dog lifted its head, she finally understood why.
The dog didn't just lift its head... it lifted three heads.
"Oh no..." Mamori gasped as all three heads looked towards them. Eyes glowing red, sharp, pointy teeth bared, it walked forward, growling even louder.
BANG!
Hiruma wasted no time in attracting its attention. All three heads looking towards him, Hiruma pushed Mamori to the side of the road, away from the dog's course as it now ran towards him.
"HIRUMA!" Mamori screamed. But Hiruma confidently rushed forward towards the dog shooting at its paws, slowing it down. Hiruma made sure the dog had all its three heads aimed straight at him, one of it swooped down to crush him. But Hiruma quickly evaded it, shooting it directly in the middle of its forehead.
Mamori felt the urge to scream some more. It was a horrific sight to see such sharp teeth aiming to crush Hiruma, who looked like nothing more than a toothpick next to the giant dog. Then one head swooped down and knocked Hiruma to the side, causing him to roll on his side down the road.
"STOP IT!" Mamori shouted as she ran forward towards them, sword held by her side.
"DON'T FUCKING COME HERE!" Hiruma shouted back as he finally stood up, looking lightly grazed but still in one piece. Despite his attempt to attract the attention of all three heads, only two were now looking at him, with one looking solely at Mamori.
That head opened its wide jaws and aimed a large bite at Mamori, but she aimed her sword forward and with what strength she had, slashed at the jaws before her, the momentum ricocheting her body away from the dog. The other two heads were still snapping ferociously at Hiruma, who was now raining bullets into them, but as he had mentioned before, his attacks had little to no effect on the creatures of this world. They seem to merely stun them temporarily.
"GET BACK ALREADY!" Hiruma shouted. "YOU'LL GET HURT!"
"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" Mamori shouted back, resisting all urges to run. She stared right back at the red eyes glaring at her, and for a split moment felt a sense of familiarity. The feeling disappeared as the head snapped at her again, but with the other two heads trying to reach Hiruma, its body stayed planted where it was, torn between the heads. It would be comical had the situation not been so life-threateningly grave. The heads never had much of a neck to begin with so while it continued to clench its jaws towards Mamori, she stayed at a distance where the head could not reach her.
Mamori took this chance to take a better look at the three-headed dog, looking for its source. At this distance, she finally noticed a collar around it’s necks. Someone owns this monstrosity? Mamori quickly looked below its neck and saw it. A red dog tag was hanging just under its furry neck where the three heads met.
That was the source.
"HIRUMA! I FOUND IT!" Mamori shouted at him. "JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
"WHAT?!" Hiruma shouted back, although his eyes were focused on the two heads before him.
"STAY THERE!" Mamori kept her sword at her side for a moment, keeping her hands free.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"
Mamori didn't bother to respond. The moment the head dove towards her again, Mamori quickly ran forward and jumped towards its nose. Upon landing, she grabbed unto the bridge of its nose and felt the head shake and growl in annoyance, attracting the other two heads’ attentions.
Without wasting any time, Mamori steadied her feet and rushed to the top of the dog’s head. The other two heads tried to grab her, but their short necks could barely reach her, causing the three-headed dog to amble in agitated circles in an attempt to get to her.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!" Hiruma yelled, his shots no longer arresting even the slightest bit of their attention now they were solely focused on getting Mamori off their back.
She had reached the dog's collar and keeping both hands to the sides of the giant collar, she slid down towards the dog tag. The heads were going crazy at this point, jumping and growling, barking and gnawing.
Despite having reached the dog tag, Mamori struggled to let one hand go. The dog kept moving and jumping and she felt sure she was going to fall if she let even one hand go to reach for her sword. Her grip was getting weaker... there was no time.
Taking a deep breath, Mamori swung her body back and forward, back and forward, until she felt sure she had the right momentum...
And let go...
Her aim was slightly off as the dog had jumped at that moment, but Mamori quickly grabbed her sword and pointed it straight towards the tag. In a split moment, she felt that she had cut something, and she noticed the dog tag was falling with her. It had not broken yet.
Mamori felt herself fall harshly on the ground, knocking her out of her senses for a moment. She was right under the dog now, she could hear its heavy paws around her. She could also hear Hiruma shouting at her, distantly. She couldn't tell what he was shouting... Get out of there? Are you fucking stupid?
... Mamori?
Mamori gasped as she finally gained enough consciousness to notice the dog tag was just before her. The dog with three heads could clearly see her now and no matter how many bullets Hiruma rained on them, or how he was practically at their range to be crushed by their sharp jaws, they refused to look at him.
They were only looking at Mamori, and the dog tag.
One head was rushing towards her, jaws wide open. Mamori let out a shriek as she quickly grabbed her sword and ran towards the dog tag. The head's sharp teeth were just inches from her body when she finally raised her sword and stabbed the dog tag. A sharp crack tore the air asunder.
There was a loud howl and a bright red light filled the area, causing Mamori to close her eyes. A strong wind swept past them momentarily, before silence finally settled upon them.
Mamori breathed heavily as the dog tag disappeared under her sword. She looked around and found Hiruma running towards her. He was angry, very angry, and she could already hear his curse filled words flung at her. She closed her eyes, expecting a possible slap.
But what she felt instead was his arms wrapped around her tightly. "You fucking crazy, stupid, careless, mess of a woman!" he breathed sharply into her ear. "Don't you fucking dare do that shit again! I can't lose y-" He stopped himself instantly, though Mamori felt his hold on her tighten even more.
There it was again, that warm, comforting feeling in her heart. Mamori frowned, unsure of what to do, what this feeling was. But she lifted her arms just a little to return his embrace. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.
BARK!
They pulled away for a moment to see the source of that sound, and found the dog that they had fought earlier was at their feet, smaller, with one head and looking at them with angry eyes. As Mamori stared at the dog, slowly memories of the little mutt that brought the Deimon Devil Bats a lot of terror and trouble began to surface.
"Cerberus!" she cried with glee as she quickly went on her knees to pet the dog. The dog licked her hand in return and seemed to crawl into Mamori's arms. "Oh, Cerberus! I can't believe that I forgot you! You were such a scary creature just now!"
The dog let out a low growl as he now pulled himself away from Mamori and stared at her intently. Then he stared at Hiruma, whose face held utter disinterest for the dog. Cerberus made a move to approach him, but it made Hiruma frown even more.
"What's wrong?" asked Mamori, though the question seemed to be towards both Cerberus and Hiruma.
"Fucking hate dogs," said Hiruma, still glaring at Cerberus. The dog sat down in front of Hiruma, still looking at him. Mamori stood up, curious at the sight before her.
Hiruma broke eye contact with the dog to look at Mamori. "Aren't you fucking sleepy?"
"Eh?" Now that Hiruma mentioned it, usually after defeating the source, Mamori would instantly feel drowsy and sleep. But... "No... Strangely enough, I don't feel tired at all. I recalled Cerberus, but I don't think that was the main thing I was supposed to remember here." Mamori looked towards the apartment. "I think it's somewhere in there..."
Cerberus got up and trotted towards the apartment entrance. He growled at them as if to follow. "Ah, I think Cerberus can lead us there..." Mamori walked forward.
A hand reached out towards Mamori's arm. Hiruma held her back, his expression a peculiar mix of worry that he was struggling to keep hidden. "I don't think it's a good idea..."
"Hiruma...?" Mamori murmured, wondering why he looked so worried. It was an expression she felt sure she’d never seen before and for some reason, that worried her. Cerberus let out a bark, calling out to them. She looked at Hiruma more intently. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Besides, I'm awake now, and it isn't even night time yet, so that means there's still something I have to do, right?"
Hiruma opened his mouth to protest but soon clenched his jaws, knowing nothing he could say would stop her. There was only one path before them, and all he could do was follow as Mamori trailed after Cerberus and walked up the stairs.
Chapter 9 | Chapter 11
Rating: T
Fandom: Eyeshield 21/CLAMP (Crossover)
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely Riichiro Inagaki and Yuusuke Murata for Eyeshield 21 and CLAMP.
Summary: In a volatile world where even his black book holds no power, Hiruma must help Mamori fight and recover her lost memories before he loses her forever. AU. Crossover. HiruMamo.
Notes: An early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers of this fic! I had initially planned to write this chapter early next year as things have been really hectic, my laptop died on me and my office computer broke down and everything. But with God's wonderful grace, he gave me this chance to write and now, not only am I going to give you one chapter, I am giving you TWO! (Mostly cause it would be too evil to leave you all with a cliffhanger, and I initially planned to only have these two chapters as one, but in the end, it followed the usual format)
So enjoy this special arc and I really hope you have a great Christmas and New Year! It is a blessing to have all you readers and I cannot thank you enough for all the amazing support!
Much love to moodylollipop for once more, going out of her way to edit this fic for me to post it up today. LOVE YOU LOADS!!!
~*~
Someone's arms were around her, covering her almost protectively. She breathed that person in, feeling her skin against his. It was tender, warm, and though she felt exhausted, she also felt more contentment than anything else.
That person was slowly pulling away now, causing Mamori to quickly reach out and place a hand on his face. He firmly placed his left hand on hers affectionately, something shiny caught her attention on his hand, but Mamori couldn't help but cry...
Because no matter how hard she tried, she could not see his face.
Mamori woke up with tears in her eyes, falling softly on her cheek. It was easier to recall her dreams now, but this one disturbed her. She was sure that a veil had been put in place upon this particular person that she so desperately wanted to recall, but she wasn’t sure why.
Had she not regained enough memories for her to recall him? Maybe she would soon?
Rubbing her face dry with her sleeves, and sat up to see the sky was now a deep orange, casting a red glow on the world around her. There were only buildings, from houses to apartments and she was by the side of the road. Hiruma sat beside her, leaning against the wall of someone else's house, but to Mamori's surprise he was still asleep.
Gazing at his peaceful face, Mamori felt a warm, happy feeling fill her heart. She wasn't sure why, it was an odd feeling to have. But the more she thought about Hiruma, the more the warmth continued to grow.
"Were you really something my mind just created?" Mamori whispered. "Or are you something more? I don't know why... but I suddenly feel really glad and blessed to have you with me, especially here..." She reached out a hand towards his face. "I just wish I knew what you really mean to me."
The moment she placed a hand on the side of Hiruma's face, he instantly responded by placing a hand on top of hers. He opened his eyes and Mamori's eyes were locked on his intense green eyes once more, exactly the way he’d looked at her when she first gained consciousness in this world. They were barely breathing, only looking at each other, as if they could find the answers by doing so...
Until Hiruma finally pulled Mamori's hand away from his face, and affixed his usual grin. "Are you checking me out while I'm sleeping?"
"Wha-?" Mamori pulled away from Hiruma, feeling her face now turning warm. She wondered why she felt that way, but words suddenly poured out of her mouth, "D-don't misunderstand me! I was just worried about you! It's the first time you weren't awake when I woke up, so I was worried that something must've been wrong with you and-"
Hiruma cackled, a mixture of mirth and amusement. Mamori calmed down the moment she heard it, although she placed a hand on her heart, wondering what was wrong with it. There were definitely a lot of emotions going through her right now, and it felt awful to not be able to figure it out completely. But there was only one thing she felt certain...
That Hiruma was the cause of her uneasiness.
"Oi, are you still fucking worrying?" Hiruma spoke up, looking at her.
Mamori shook her head. "It's fine... I'll get my answers soon enough, right?" She sighed. "I know it's ridiculous to hold on to that belief, but it's all I have right now."
"Why the fuck do you want to worry about that?" Hiruma got up, holding out a hand towards her. "You have every right to believe that. And I'll see to it that you get your answers. That's why I'm here."
She stared at Hiruma's hand outstretched towards her. Familiar... everything about him felt familiar. But why and how, she still couldn't figure it out. In her confused mind, Hiruma was like an anchor, someone she could depend on when everything in the world around her made no sense. There had to be a reason for this... So as she took Hiruma's hand, Mamori told herself she would figure out more about Hiruma and the reason for his existence here in this world.
Checking their weapons, Mamori took a better look at her surroundings. It felt like they were in a suburban city now, and that this place was far away from her home or the schools she had been to. she wondered when had she come to this place, and what was the significance of being so far away from what she deemed was her usual place, when she suddenly felt a strong pull towards one of the apartment buildings.
"So I'm guessing that's our next fucking destination?" asked Hiruma as he placed his guns away and looked at the direction Mamori was looking at.
"Yeah, I feel something really strong there..." Mamori nodded. "Let's get going."
They brisk walked down the road that would lead them straight towards the apartment, but as they drew closer, Mamori could hear a strange rumbling coming from that direction.
"We're probably going to meet up with something the moment we get there," said Hiruma, who could also hear the rumbling grow louder. "I suggest you get ready."
Nodding, Mamori brandished her sword in her hands, taking firm cautious steps forward. The apartment was now just beyond the corner, the rumbling was now distinctively a growl. Whatever it was, Mamori was certain it was something big and menacing.
They stood by the corner and silently peeked to see what could be in front of the apartment. Mamori gasped as she saw a gigantic brown dog with stumpy legs. Its eyes were closed but its snores were the loud growls they could hear from afar.
"There's no way we can sneak past it," Hiruma murmured. "It’s big fucking ass is blocking the way."
"I think we have to defeat it anyways... that might be what we need to do," Mamori let out a shaky breath. "But I don't like the idea of having to wake it up."
"Do you think it has a weakness?"
Mamori strained her neck a little more from the corner to take a better look at the giant dog. "I think so... I need to get closer to figure it out."
Hiruma nodded. "I'll distract the big mutt then while you figure out its weakness. Let me know if you find one and I'll create an opening for you towards it."
"Isn't it dangerous?" Mamori felt her heart sink as the image of Hiruma getting badly injured flashed before her eyes.
But Hiruma gave her a confident, evil grin. "Kekeke, don't you fucking worry about me. This should be fucking easy."
He was lying. Mamori was so sure of it. But like the many times before, Mamori knew she had little choice but to trust him. "All right... Let's do this."
They finally walked away from the corner, towards the apartment and instantly the dog's ears perked up. Mamori also realised that there was something wrong with the dog, but as the dog lifted its head, she finally understood why.
The dog didn't just lift its head... it lifted three heads.
"Oh no..." Mamori gasped as all three heads looked towards them. Eyes glowing red, sharp, pointy teeth bared, it walked forward, growling even louder.
BANG!
Hiruma wasted no time in attracting its attention. All three heads looking towards him, Hiruma pushed Mamori to the side of the road, away from the dog's course as it now ran towards him.
"HIRUMA!" Mamori screamed. But Hiruma confidently rushed forward towards the dog shooting at its paws, slowing it down. Hiruma made sure the dog had all its three heads aimed straight at him, one of it swooped down to crush him. But Hiruma quickly evaded it, shooting it directly in the middle of its forehead.
Mamori felt the urge to scream some more. It was a horrific sight to see such sharp teeth aiming to crush Hiruma, who looked like nothing more than a toothpick next to the giant dog. Then one head swooped down and knocked Hiruma to the side, causing him to roll on his side down the road.
"STOP IT!" Mamori shouted as she ran forward towards them, sword held by her side.
"DON'T FUCKING COME HERE!" Hiruma shouted back as he finally stood up, looking lightly grazed but still in one piece. Despite his attempt to attract the attention of all three heads, only two were now looking at him, with one looking solely at Mamori.
That head opened its wide jaws and aimed a large bite at Mamori, but she aimed her sword forward and with what strength she had, slashed at the jaws before her, the momentum ricocheting her body away from the dog. The other two heads were still snapping ferociously at Hiruma, who was now raining bullets into them, but as he had mentioned before, his attacks had little to no effect on the creatures of this world. They seem to merely stun them temporarily.
"GET BACK ALREADY!" Hiruma shouted. "YOU'LL GET HURT!"
"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" Mamori shouted back, resisting all urges to run. She stared right back at the red eyes glaring at her, and for a split moment felt a sense of familiarity. The feeling disappeared as the head snapped at her again, but with the other two heads trying to reach Hiruma, its body stayed planted where it was, torn between the heads. It would be comical had the situation not been so life-threateningly grave. The heads never had much of a neck to begin with so while it continued to clench its jaws towards Mamori, she stayed at a distance where the head could not reach her.
Mamori took this chance to take a better look at the three-headed dog, looking for its source. At this distance, she finally noticed a collar around it’s necks. Someone owns this monstrosity? Mamori quickly looked below its neck and saw it. A red dog tag was hanging just under its furry neck where the three heads met.
That was the source.
"HIRUMA! I FOUND IT!" Mamori shouted at him. "JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
"WHAT?!" Hiruma shouted back, although his eyes were focused on the two heads before him.
"STAY THERE!" Mamori kept her sword at her side for a moment, keeping her hands free.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"
Mamori didn't bother to respond. The moment the head dove towards her again, Mamori quickly ran forward and jumped towards its nose. Upon landing, she grabbed unto the bridge of its nose and felt the head shake and growl in annoyance, attracting the other two heads’ attentions.
Without wasting any time, Mamori steadied her feet and rushed to the top of the dog’s head. The other two heads tried to grab her, but their short necks could barely reach her, causing the three-headed dog to amble in agitated circles in an attempt to get to her.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!" Hiruma yelled, his shots no longer arresting even the slightest bit of their attention now they were solely focused on getting Mamori off their back.
She had reached the dog's collar and keeping both hands to the sides of the giant collar, she slid down towards the dog tag. The heads were going crazy at this point, jumping and growling, barking and gnawing.
Despite having reached the dog tag, Mamori struggled to let one hand go. The dog kept moving and jumping and she felt sure she was going to fall if she let even one hand go to reach for her sword. Her grip was getting weaker... there was no time.
Taking a deep breath, Mamori swung her body back and forward, back and forward, until she felt sure she had the right momentum...
And let go...
Her aim was slightly off as the dog had jumped at that moment, but Mamori quickly grabbed her sword and pointed it straight towards the tag. In a split moment, she felt that she had cut something, and she noticed the dog tag was falling with her. It had not broken yet.
Mamori felt herself fall harshly on the ground, knocking her out of her senses for a moment. She was right under the dog now, she could hear its heavy paws around her. She could also hear Hiruma shouting at her, distantly. She couldn't tell what he was shouting... Get out of there? Are you fucking stupid?
... Mamori?
Mamori gasped as she finally gained enough consciousness to notice the dog tag was just before her. The dog with three heads could clearly see her now and no matter how many bullets Hiruma rained on them, or how he was practically at their range to be crushed by their sharp jaws, they refused to look at him.
They were only looking at Mamori, and the dog tag.
One head was rushing towards her, jaws wide open. Mamori let out a shriek as she quickly grabbed her sword and ran towards the dog tag. The head's sharp teeth were just inches from her body when she finally raised her sword and stabbed the dog tag. A sharp crack tore the air asunder.
There was a loud howl and a bright red light filled the area, causing Mamori to close her eyes. A strong wind swept past them momentarily, before silence finally settled upon them.
Mamori breathed heavily as the dog tag disappeared under her sword. She looked around and found Hiruma running towards her. He was angry, very angry, and she could already hear his curse filled words flung at her. She closed her eyes, expecting a possible slap.
But what she felt instead was his arms wrapped around her tightly. "You fucking crazy, stupid, careless, mess of a woman!" he breathed sharply into her ear. "Don't you fucking dare do that shit again! I can't lose y-" He stopped himself instantly, though Mamori felt his hold on her tighten even more.
There it was again, that warm, comforting feeling in her heart. Mamori frowned, unsure of what to do, what this feeling was. But she lifted her arms just a little to return his embrace. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.
BARK!
They pulled away for a moment to see the source of that sound, and found the dog that they had fought earlier was at their feet, smaller, with one head and looking at them with angry eyes. As Mamori stared at the dog, slowly memories of the little mutt that brought the Deimon Devil Bats a lot of terror and trouble began to surface.
"Cerberus!" she cried with glee as she quickly went on her knees to pet the dog. The dog licked her hand in return and seemed to crawl into Mamori's arms. "Oh, Cerberus! I can't believe that I forgot you! You were such a scary creature just now!"
The dog let out a low growl as he now pulled himself away from Mamori and stared at her intently. Then he stared at Hiruma, whose face held utter disinterest for the dog. Cerberus made a move to approach him, but it made Hiruma frown even more.
"What's wrong?" asked Mamori, though the question seemed to be towards both Cerberus and Hiruma.
"Fucking hate dogs," said Hiruma, still glaring at Cerberus. The dog sat down in front of Hiruma, still looking at him. Mamori stood up, curious at the sight before her.
Hiruma broke eye contact with the dog to look at Mamori. "Aren't you fucking sleepy?"
"Eh?" Now that Hiruma mentioned it, usually after defeating the source, Mamori would instantly feel drowsy and sleep. But... "No... Strangely enough, I don't feel tired at all. I recalled Cerberus, but I don't think that was the main thing I was supposed to remember here." Mamori looked towards the apartment. "I think it's somewhere in there..."
Cerberus got up and trotted towards the apartment entrance. He growled at them as if to follow. "Ah, I think Cerberus can lead us there..." Mamori walked forward.
A hand reached out towards Mamori's arm. Hiruma held her back, his expression a peculiar mix of worry that he was struggling to keep hidden. "I don't think it's a good idea..."
"Hiruma...?" Mamori murmured, wondering why he looked so worried. It was an expression she felt sure she’d never seen before and for some reason, that worried her. Cerberus let out a bark, calling out to them. She looked at Hiruma more intently. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Besides, I'm awake now, and it isn't even night time yet, so that means there's still something I have to do, right?"
Hiruma opened his mouth to protest but soon clenched his jaws, knowing nothing he could say would stop her. There was only one path before them, and all he could do was follow as Mamori trailed after Cerberus and walked up the stairs.
Chapter 9 | Chapter 11