Description: Daniel contacts Mimiru with news of her brother and sends her a message to tell her where to find him. Mimiru hurries up to the meeting point, only to find both Daniel and Jiro in quite a bad shape, her brother still unconscious from a fight they had with Ash Crimson. While Mimiru tries her best to patch them up, Jiro wakes from his slumber. Unfortunately, this reunion with her borther doesn't quite go as expected for Mimiru...
He had it.
Daniel Jack heaves the unconscious form of Jiro over his shoulder. He got stares from the hotel staff as he limped along, carrying a broken leg, and a topless body seared with burns. He just stared at them, before heaving his cargo into the elevator. The elevator rises up to the third floor, opening briefly to allow a drunk couple on.
They do not get into the elevator.
Reaching the fifth floor, Daniel staggers towards his room. Fumbling at his pants, he sits Jiro upright, as he unlocks the door to his room. Heaving Jiro back up, he hisses in pain, and he forces himself back into the room. With a groan, he tosses Jiro on the bed. Sitting on the bed next to his unconscious companion, he reaches into his pants pocket, and pulls out an ever-crackening phone. He sends a text, to one of the many people who would be interested in his prize.
"I found him."
It took a while for Mimiru to answer this message. There was no doubt as to what Daniel meant, that's for sure. It was probably the only reason why he'd contact Mimiru for anyway...
"Where is he?"
The answer finally came. It was a simple one and didn't need to be elaborated.
Mimiru had been rolling around Paris, late at night... There were always jobs for courier at odd hours. She'd have to finish this one as quickly as possible. She leans on against a street lamp, her eyes fixed on the screen of her phone, awaiting eagerly Daniel's answer.
Daniel Jack doesn't hover over the phone.
After texting, he is already putting the phone down, and heading back over to the kitchen. Blood sacks are already set up, heaps of gauve and bandages are in place. The detective has been in this kind of trouble before; and often times, going to a hospital meant doctors asking too many questions, and insurance rates going through the roof.
So Daniel was a DYI when it came to himself.
The phone buzzes, as Daniel is setting up the disinfectant. Putting the chemicals in place, he limps back to the bedroom. Casting a gaze over the unconscious form of Jiro, he shakes his head. He might have to play doctor with him too. Picking up the phone, he taps around the cracked screen. He's have to get a new phone when he gets back... somewhere.
"At the hotel room. Address as follows."
And he gives the address and room of the hotel.
This took on forever. At least, that's how it felt to Mimiru. She glances at the time, and then back on the streets. For a moment, she debates continuing her run, but that would mean she might skip the next message.
All sorts of scenario goes through her mind. Her thumbs repeatedly tap the screen of her phone impatiently. Finally, Daniel answers to her. Her heart skips a beat and she bites her lips. This is it... No turning back now. Her delivery would have to wait for. Mimiru will be late on this one.
A quick search through her phone and she finds the shortest path to the address Daniel had given her. Unfortunately for Mimiru, it was a good distance away from where she was...
Another quick message and Mimiru closes her phone : "I'll be there in about thirty minutes. See you then," Mimiru says.
It would have taken her longer than that in normal circumstances. Though those weren't normal circumstances. Mimiru would make it there in thirty minutes flat. She puts her goggles back on over her eyes and dashes off rapidly for a sprint, going into fast lanes and grabbing into the back of cars and trucks to get some speed and cover as much of the distance she could without wasting too much energy.
***** Thirty minutes later *****
Knock-knock at the door of Daniel's hotel room.
"Just a second!"
That was a cry behind the door. It takes nearly a minute before the sound of unlatching is heard. The door is opened, and Daniel's head peeks out. Looking around the hallway, he nods, and opens the door, motioning Mimiru inside.
"He's unconscious."
That is the first thing the detective says. His chest is smeared with a thick white paste, as well as along his arms and shoulders. He was limping badly, he was out of his usual pants, and instead wearing gym shorts. His right leg was swollen. Motioning the pink hair Kasagi, he continues bluntly. "He and I found the source of the missing people. And its guardian is what did this to me."
"If I wasn't there, Jiro would have..."
More waiting. It allowed her to regain her composure and her breath some. She hadn't taken the time to take off her rollerblades. Too much trouble and beside, she went faster that way. A few persons gave her judging and stern gaze, but Mimiru ignored them.
Mimiru's gracefully balancing on her rollerblade, one feet arched backward to steady herself and brake. When the door finally opens, her eyes lift up to Daniel and her expression seems to become even more concerned and worried than it was before.
"You're in worse shape than when I left you..." Mimiru says, though it only makes her fear for the worst. She rolls in as soon as he lets her in, her eyes quickly scanning the room for Jiro. Once she has found his motionless form lying in one of the bed, she quickly approaches it, kneeling down beside the bed. She listens only half-heartedly to Daniel's explanation, her focus on her unconscious brother.
"Do... Don't say it," Mimiru says to Daniel, to prevent him from finishing his last sentence. She didn't want to hear it. She reaches out for Jiro's hand, assessing his injuries and what Daniel had done to patch him up.
"Thank you, Daniel..." She lowers her gaze, lost in her thoughts. It's quite a coincidence that he found Jiro during his investigatios... Or was it?
"Why was Jiro out there? Was he too looking for the source of the missing people?" Mimiru asks, turning her attention to Daniel.
Daniel hadn't even recovered from the fight at the Lourve.
Limping along, he lets her go into the room. He does not add anymore about what could have happened. The choice between the time sphere, and Jiro. The fact he saved him instead of... possibly saving the world. He hoped Karma could forgive him for that. Reaching back at the medical table he set up in the kitchen, he begins to drink from one of the medicinal bottles.
"I think... he was looking for the missing people too."
Jiro's injuries are very similar to Daniel's own. Covered in heavy burns all across his body, as well as bruises and localized fractures. The difference was that Jiro was unconscious, and Daniel was not. Likewise, he was not being treated yet. As Daniel answers Mimiru, he looks back at her from the kitchen. "The kid's a hero, I'll tell you that. We were attacked by Ash, that french asshole. If I see him again, I will..." He pauses. "Get a friend. Definately get a friend." The detective takes another swig. "We will need to start treating Jiro. I don't know if ghosts can get Staph infections, but I really don't want to find out. I'm gonna need you to help me out though."
"You've ever been a nurse, Mimiru?"
Mimiru slowly shakes her head, as if disapproving of her brother's behaviour. She holds on to his hand, frowning a bit. If only she hadn't run away from him the first time they met, maybe things would have been different. She would have been there for him...
It was too late to look back and have regrets now.
Mimiru tries to shake it off and she lets go of Jiro's hand. She glances at Daniel and her mouth opens to ask something but it closes just as suddenly. There must have been a good reason for Daniel not going to the hospital in their current condition, "One of my ex was a nurse," Mimiru says, "He taught me a thing or two and first aids but..." Mimiru glances back at Jiro, than back at Daniel, unsure if she'd be able to patch them up correctly, "Both of you are quite a mess, and I'd hardly consider myself a quarter of a nurse for this,"
She straightens herself up and says, "I... Might be able to get in a few supplies," Mimiru says, "To patch you two up," She frowns and asks, "You sure you don't want to both get to the hospital?"
"Excellent."
That is all Daniel says, as he takes a third swig. "We got supplies here. I've been doing this for years; I sometimes get real deep in an investigation, and it saves time to patch myself up, and my, uh associates. Sometimes it is better I don't go to the hospital, you dig?" The detective coughs, choking a bit on the vile mixture. "Okay, this is really gonna drug me up good, once it kicks in. I can't treat Jiro with my leg like this. So I am gonna need your help on this."
"Pay attention."
The detective picks at a wrapped pile of gauve. In it, was two long splints, mixed with more bandages, threads, and scissors. A bottle sits in it. Picking them all up, he brings them over to the couch, and places them on the coffee table. "You are gonna set my bone. Make sure it is lined up with the splints, and then bind it to set it. If we are lucky, I've been moving around enough to make sure it has stayed broken. If it is healed?" He asks, sitting in the couch.
"You are gonna have to break my bone, okay?"
Mimiru nods slowly to Daniel's instructions. The girl kneels down and unfastens her rollerblades one after the other. Mimiru knew just what Daniel expected of her. She had seen something like that happen to one of her fellow teammate when she played in basketball and someone had gotten a fractured leg.
"You better bite into something then, just in case," Mimiru says as she gets out of her rollerblades. She approaches Daniel and she kneels down beside the couch. She approaches the coffee table close to her, to make sure she has everything within hand reach.
She frowns at Daniel and says, "You know it'll hurt..." She says. For some reason, Mimiru feared for the worse here. "Alright, I'm going to fix it straight... If you're lucky, it'll be over quickly, if you're not..." She lets her words trail off.
Mimiru moves the splints around Daniel's leg and she presses both of her hands on his appendage, thumbs working out his bone, applying the necessary force to straighten it out so she can immobilize his leg afterward between the splints.
Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.
Daniel relaxes in the couch, the leg resting there. "Nah, I've had worse. Besides, I don't want to break anything I'm biting." The detective sweats a bit, as Mimiru moves in place, getting ready for the bone. He takes a deep breath in. "Okay, now remember, don't worry about being too rough. That stuff I was drinking is painkiller, and I think the painkiller has kick-"
There is a popping sound.
"SCUZZY FUCK TAAAAAGG ROPE NO IT HASN'T!"
There is another popping sound.
"EEEEEEEEE"
Daniel Jack goes limp on the couch. The leg was fixed now, being immobilized in place as Mimiru wraps it around. The detective is silent now. Oh, he was breathing. But he is not speaking. Eyes staring straight ahead, tears in the corner of his eyes. He blinks twice. And slowly, begins to move a bit. He looks at the strung up leg, and gingerly, begins to move from the couch. But as he eases himself up, he suddenly lurches.
"Okay, now the painkiller is kicking in."
Mimiru frowns at Daniel as he refuses to bite into something. That frown showed her disapproval of his decision, but she shrugs. If he wants to play tough... Mimiru's never been in his situation, but she has seen it happen a time or two and the ones who had their leg moved were generally in great pain.
If Mimiru had nothing to break, it wouldn't take too long. Once she begins, she totally ignores his screams and tries to finish her thing as quickly as possible. She's not going easy on him, and her thumbs and hands are applying the force necessary to force his leg straight again... Which comes with its share of crunchy noises.
"There, we're through the worse part," Mimiru says after Daniek goes limp. She takes the various threads and she tightens the splints around Daniel's leg, binding them tightly to keep his leg immobilized so the bone can heal correctly.
As soon as Daniel starts moving, Mimiru leans over and she presses her hand on Daniel's chest, to keep him lying there, "If you want it to heal properly, no moving... The splint will keep it straight, but if you walk on it, there's a chance it'll move your bone,"
Mimiru stares at Daniel and her lips curl into a faint smile. She pats his shoulder and she says, "Don't you think you've done enough now? Rest up, I'll take care of the rest from here..." She glances over to Jiro and adds, "I can take care of him, if you have all I need for it.."
"No, no."
The detective sputters, forcing himself up. "It's my fault he got so wrecked." He states, rising to a stand, putting most of his weight on the good leg... and on his hand, which was on the couch arm. "And I got the experience with this." He works his way across the room, back into the kitchen. Mimiru was tough. The detective could respect that, as well as her focused nature. Of course, she loved her brother. And she would take care of him. But Daniel couldn't let a 'patient' leave him without being worked on. He responds to his own thought aloud, the painkiller working its magic.
"Hell, that reminds me of that one time I met vega."
Daniel Jack was rambling now, lurching towards the counter filled with medical supplies. "I was working in Southtown, god, it must have been a few years ago. I was investigating some kind of psychic attacker that was prowling the streets, when I came across a girl. 15 years old, she was nearly bled out in the alleyway. I met her before, she had attacked me, and now she was just alone, dying. I took her in, put her back together, and replaced it with some blood I had on hand." The detective opens the hotel fridge, showing that there were, in fact, two bags of blood in there. "I got lucky, and her body didn't reject it. Anyways, I stabilized her, and then my door caves in. There he was, standing right in my living room, was Vega himself, the leader of Shadaloo."
"Turned out I just rescued a Shadaloo Doll."
"Vega didn't kill me, but man, let me tell you, Shadaloo being grateful to you isn't a great thing, you dig?" He mutters, pulling out a blood pack. He puts it on a towel, and begins to tossing medical supplies on there. Loads of antiseptic to boot. "I've been a favorite of them for years. Not one of my best associates, but part of the reason I try to avoid hospitals." He holds the towel, folding it up into a makeshift bag. And there, he motions Mimiru to come over. "Carry this for me."
"I'm ready to work on your brother."
"You really shouldn't," Mimiru insists. She tries to stop him from moving again, but this time, he's too fast for her. She frowns and shakes her head, heaving an audible sigh.
She slowly rises after Daniel, following him as he walks over the fridge. She's obviously surprised by the amouth of medical supplies he actually has. The splints and bandages was one thing, but the blood? Mimiru folds her arms in front of her chest and she listens silently. "From the looks of it, you seem like a magnet for trouble," Mimiru comments with a slight smirk on her face.
Mimiru shakes her head a bit, but before she follows after him, Mimiru removes her fingerless gloves and she goes in the kitchen to wash her hands. She then grabs the towel with the supplies and makes her way toward Jiro's bed.
"You're probably the second most stubborn person I've ever met, Daniel.." Mimiru says. She puts the towel on the coffee table and brings it closer to Jiro's bed. Mimiru looks through the supplies and she takes a pair of scissors and she starts cutting through Jiro's clothes, the parts that were burnt and where his skin was obviously burnt, "... And your well-being always comes in second. You're not alone in all of this, you know? You can rely on others too,"
"Trouble's just a way of life, Mimiru."
Daniel mutters, as Mimiru helps him with the supplies. Setting them up on the bed around Jiro, he begins to handle the Stray, inspecting his injuries carefully. "But I'm never alone. Hell, you're evidence of that, and so is him." He motions to Jiro. "He saved my life, just by being there. If I went down, I'd... I wouldn't have made it. Stubbornness only gets you so far." He reaches out for the scissors from the stack of supplies.
And accidentally holds on to Mimiru's hand.
Daniel Jack withdraws his hand, face hot. He clears his throat. "Erm, thank you. He is unfortunate that he didn't get the clothing seared off him completely, like with me." He says rather flustered. "Gonna have to be careful taking off the clothing. I remember one time I pulled off my shirt, and a good chunk of my skin came off with it. Bled out real bad after that. Hey, you remember what Jiro's blood type is?" The detective gives a little smirk."
"If you need me to, I can warm it up in the microwave."
"Not a lot of good it did you so far," Mimiru says, her intonation obviously teasing.
She glances at her brother and adds, "Neither for him..." The pink haired lass shakes her head, "Maybe so... But it's not always a good thing." Mimiru bites her lips and adds, "... Jiro never listened to me," She smiles weakly, "Even when he was wrong, and it got him in trouble," Mimiru shrugs and she says, "He had an excuse though : I was his little sister," She glances up to Daniel and asks, "What's yours, huh?"
When Daniel and Mimiru's hand touches, Mimiru's fingers withdraws in surprise. She glances over to Daniel, noticing that flush on his face. Her lips curl into a wide smile and she chuckles softly, picking up the scissors.
"Yeah, I know," Her voice seems amused, "Told you my ex was a nurse, eh? He taught me all sort of things..." Mimiru explains. Mimiru winces a bit, "Oooh, looks like you learned it the hard way..."
Once Mimiru is through with most of Jiro's clothings, she puts the scissors and clothes aside, "You mean you don't have O negative blood?" Mimiru asks. Mimiru shrugs and adds, "Anyway, you'll need either O positive or O negative... Jiro's O positive,"
Mimiru stands up and takes one of the bag of blood, checking through them to make sure one would fit for Jiro, "I'll take care of it... You can prepare him for the rest..." She hums softly and asks, "You've got some cream for those burns?"
"Huh."
Daniel Jack was feeling a bit more anxious. Maybe it was all that painkiller he took. 180 proof, that was. Made a great antiseptic too. "I'm stubborn because the alternative is dying. Or being a loser. Or both. That's not much of an alternative for me." He continues to feel hot-faced. What kind of things did the ex teach her? At the very least, she was a great nurse.
And then she reveals Jiro's blood type.
"Well, hell, that's mine too." He smiles full now, chuckling at that. He points back towards the kitchen. "I got a lot of O Positive there. We will keep track of him; I don't think he lost a lot of blood. He doesn't seem anemic." The detective reaches for the heap, and pulls out a fat jar of cream, a bottle, and finally, a wipe. He begins to apply the contents of the bottle across his body, before dabbing it with the wipe. Finally, he begins to smear the cream across the naked chest of Jiro, covering the burns. And almost nervously, he calls back to Mimiru.
"You seeing anybody right now?"
Jiro has been unconscious for some time. In his fit of rage, he gave in to the path of darkness and lost the temper. However, that does not mean that Jiro is dead. No, it just means that he's under a long period of resting. So while the cream is being wiped across the naked chest of Jiro...
Both eyes snap open. The eyes that snap open are not the sea blue eyes that are normally of the Stray Dog, but those green slitted eyes of the beast that is filled with fury.
And the object of his fury is right in front of him.
Daniel.
A hand quickly snaps up and is shot straight towards the throat of the older detective. Jiro's eyes narrow and his canines become enlarge as he seeks to get a good, tight grip at the man's throat.
That baleful growl bellows from his throat.
"Persevering and not giving up is one thing, and learning to listen to others when they're right is another thing," Mimiru replies. Her voice was half-serious and half-teasing at the same time.
Mimiru takes the blood and makes her way to the kitchen, to heat it up in the microwave. Mimiru shrugs and says, "Next time, try to keep only O negative," The girl nods and says, "It's the universal blood giver, it'll fit every bloodtype," Perhaps one of those things her ex taught her...
Mimiru returns after a few moments with the blood bag, "Talk about a coincidence, eh? You seem to have a lot of traits in common with him too,"
Mimiru leans in against the door frame. Her lips curl in a gentle smile and, just as she's about to answer Daniel, Jiro seems to come back to life suddenly. Mimiru quickly sprints toward the bed, putting the bag of blood on the coffee table as she approaches him, her hands gingerly reaching for his arms, "Jiro, Jiro! Snap out of it, it's Daniel! You're safe here!" She says.
Daniel Jack awaits for Mimiru's answer, wiping a hand on Jiro's ch-
"Ggggggh!"
That is all Daniel Jack can say, as his patient springs to life. Hand around his throat, his eyes bulge, as he struggles with the enraged Kasagi. Of COURSE he would wake up when he was flirting with his sister. Why wouldn't he? "Argaraga! AGARAGA!" He gags, working with Mimiru to try and wrench himself free from the rabid dog. If he couldn't stop Jiro here...
He might end up having to put the dog to sleep again.
Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.
The only thing that was on Jiro's mind was squeezing the life out of Daniel. Jiro has not forgotten about being thrown around. However, there is a hand moving towards him. The baleful gaze locks onto the presence of the interloper who dares to stand in his way of strangling the life out of Daniel.
It is the older form of Mimiru, the one who denounced him.
There is a bit of a calming effect about him. The growl slowly lowers and then his grip on Daniel's neck loosens.
In that moment, the eyes revert from the beastial state to its normal sea blue eyes.
"...Meh." He looks at himself once over. He sees the chest exposed and the beaten state that he's in.
He'll survive.
"...Stand in my way, will you?" Jiro grumbles annoyedly with a glare aimed at Daniel, already moving to get up from the bed.
Mimiru's fingers slowly curl up around Jiro's hand. Her fingers slowly pry off Jiro's hand as her voice manages to reach out to him and calm him down, "Hush now," Mimiru says, holding on to Jiro's arm and trying to guide it to his side.
When Jiro grumbles and tries to get off from bed, Mimiru moves both of her hands to Jiro's shoulder, to gently pin him against the bed. She glares at Jiro and says sternly, "No," She says. She waits a second and adds, "You rest, there's no hurry now..." She insists.
Mimiru spares a glance at Daniel and she comments, "Don't you get a feeling of deja-vu?" She sticks her tongue out slightly. Daniel and Jiro had a lot in common over many things.
Oh thank god Mimiru.
Daniel Jack begins to fade out, as he wides back a punch. But as the younger (or I guess OLDER) Kasagi steps in, the wild dog is soothed. He rubs his neck, glaring at Jiro. "Jesus Christ, scuzzy, is that what you do for the man who saved your life?" The detective snarls, eyes narrowed at the teenager.
They soften, as Mimiru holds Jiro.
Jiro tries to sit up anyways. "I can give you a number of reason why you aren't leaving here, and half of them are medical." He looks towards Mimiru.
"I don't see it."
He says drly, giving her a wink. He turns back to "You just got burned worse than me. But there is something important you need to take care of." Daniel moves to shove him back down into the bed. "I said, you aren't going anywhere yet."
"Your sister needs to talk."
His eyes lock towards Mimiru with a glare. His eyes furrow towards Mimiru with a focused gaze at her. While she manages to pry his hand away, the boy grunts and he shakes his head.
Even more annoying, Mimiru gets both of her hands to his shoulders to pin him against the bed. "%&#%!" He grumbles and his eyes narrow right at Mimiru. The gaze becomes very focused and then he shakes his head.
"I'll be fine. I already rested enough, no thanks to him!"
He narrows his eyes while looking at his wounds carefully. His eyes narrow towards Daniel at his response about half of the reasons he is not leaving are medical.
"I've been through worse."
Then his eyes drift towards both Mimiru and Daniel. First, a shot is taken towards Daniel with a sneer, "I had something important to take care of. You got in my way of that. Now, the trial is cold. Now, I gotta let Alma know that our leads are %#&$!" The disappearing kids has left dry. This is not good. He doesn't know if Alma has had better luck than him, but Jiro is not feeling the luck working out for their search.
Snort.
"Don't have a sister. Not in wherever the hell I am at right now." His expression becomes more of a cruel smile, even if it doesn't last as the bitterness comes in his tone, "I'm not Jiro, remember?"
Hearing those words wasn't easy. Mimiru flinches. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, after all. Her lips curl into a weak smile. She deserved it, after all, didn't she? Or at least, now she knew how it must have felt. The girl lowers her gaze to hide her shame and guilt.
"What? Can you really blame me for how I reacted?" Mimiru asks. She doesn't press the matter though, knowing that they could argue over this endlessly and that's not something Mimiru wants right now.
Mimiru shakes her head and she says, "I'm not the Mimiru you used to know, Jiro... And neither are you the Jiro I used to know but," Mimiru bites her lips, tears swelling up in her eyes a bit, "... But, you're still my brother, we're family..." Her hands curl up into fists in her lap.
"Jiro..."
Daniel Jack holds his face with one hand. The trail was cold. He lost it. He had a choice of keeping it hot. And he didn't take that choice. As Jiro was fuming, he... couldn't blame him. "I left the sphere behind, Jiro. It's my fault the trail's cold. I couldn't carry both you and sphere. Look, Jiro..."
"I'm sorry."
He looks towards Mimiru, removing his hand, and his spirit toughens. "But you are Jiro. You think like Jiro, you have the same memories. And she loves you Jiro. She loves you as much as a sister can. You are family. And I promised your sister that I would bring you two together." He spreads his arms apart.
"So here you are."
"Whatever," Jiro drawls out at Mimiru. The angry Stray Dog is slowly starting to twitch and he grimaces at the wounds from the fight against Ash. "... That French bastard...." His anger is briefly on Ash. Between that fight and then being tossed around by both Daniel and Ash, Jiro has half a mind to strangle the hell out of Daniel again. He resists the urge.
Then, he apologies for the sphere being left behind. "... You were better off with the sphere. Remember, I do not belong in this world." He lifts his shoulders with a shrug. "Who even knows if I'll be able to return to my own time." Pause.
"...Or if it matters about returning to my own time." His eyes cast low while a hand rests over to his shoulder. "... After all, if I am dead here now, does it really matter?" His teeth grits. His eyes drift towards Mimiru and then Daniel. Heh. Neither of them know each other anymore, but they are still family. His eyebrows furrow, trying to make sense of it all. However, all that he can manage is... "Heh."
"... Right."
Family.
There is the sound of a phone ringing and then he blinks. "Eh..?" He looks over towards his pocket and he procures the cell phone from his pocket. After a moment of looking it over, Jiro looks over at the two with furrowed eyebrows.
"As much as I like dealing with reunions..." Jiro is making efforts to get back to his feet. "I'll have to go soon, Jira needs my help."
Mimiru is totally clueless about what both of them are talking about. Though the parts she seems to understand obviously don't please her and Mimiru grits her teeth. A mixture of anger and saddness filling her eyes as Jiro talks
Mimiru's body subtly tremble with rage, her fists shaking even more so. She tries to control herself, her fingers clenching harder into her palms, so hard she can barely feel her hands. She keeps her gaze low though, concealing her face, until she feels like she'll be able to control the boiling emotions inside of her.
Then Jiro forces himself up on his bed so he can rise up. Mimiru doesn't stop him. A part of her knew he wouldn't listen, and she was unsure if she had the strength to stop him, the strength to confront him.
"Why Jiro, why...?" Mimiru asks.
"Why do you talk like this... Like your life has no worth, like your death would be meaningless..." Mimiru growls a bit and she lifts her eyes up at him, her eyes filled with tears this time.
"You... You died, Jiro... Do you understand that?"
She lifts her hand up to pat her breast twice, "How... How do you think I've felt, living through that, losing my only brother!?" She grunts and shakes her head, "What do you think to accomplish?! Huh? You want to die a hero? How do you think that'll make me feel!?"
It was selfish, but Mimiru didn't care. It was heart-felt.
Mimiru tries to force herself up to her feet, supporting herself on the wall, "I wanted to be with you again, Jiro... Even if it was just momentarily but..." She lowers her gaze, "Not to see yourself throw away your life like this. I don't want to live through losing you -again-..."
Daniel would like it if Jiro did not choke him more.
He stands there, arms crossed, watching silently as Mimiru and Jiro speak. He shakes his head. He couldn't leave Jiro behind. It was wrong. Even if what Jiro was saying was true... his own words, in fact, the same words he used about Jiro. He just couldn't bring himself to abandon him. But then, Jiro rejects Mimiru... for Jira.
"Jiro, stop."
Daniel Jack raises a hand up. "We... I am worried about you and Jira. Like seriously. This is your friggin' sister. And you are choosing some... some stranger. Who is this Jira girl? And why are you so close to her? I mean, I saw the clips of the fight on the ice. You and Jira were having some kind of chemistry. Jiro, I need to ask you this, all seriousness. Jira is calling you right now."
"Why are you choosing her over Mimiru?"
There is so much for Jiro to think about. Mimiru tries to get him to understand why she felt the way that she did when she lost her only brother. What was he trying to accomplish? ... What is there to accomplish? He is in a place that he knows nothing about. Jiro doesn't even know why he is here.
His eyes lower towards Mimiru, who wanted to be with him again. To have to lose him again. However, Daniel's words get to him.
"... All of you are strangers to me."
Jiro lifts his head up towards Daniel and Mimiru. "I have been dragged from my own time while I was doing my own daily thing and to find myself in the future. ... Seven? Eight years in the future? I honestly don't know. I am dealing with a bunch of shit and I am meeting strange people here and there."
His eyes narrow, "Besides Alma and Rust, Jira has helped me get acclimated to my surroundings. She has gotten me a bit up to speed since my arrival here and has been helping me while I have been here."
He growls, already ripping himself up. "I am not going to leave someone behind that has been by my side to help me while I have been lost in a place where I am already unwelcomed as a 'ghost of a past'. And lord help me, I can't even see what has become of mother. This is a fucking future where I do not know anyone but the people who have already helped me out despite of being the god damn 'omen' and 'memories that should not be here'."
He is already up on his feet, now pushing past Daniel with anger in his voice.
"Just as that, I will make my time to do what feels right. For the times that she has helped me out since my arrival, I at least owe her that."
Everything was happening too fast, everything getting out of hand. What did Mimiru expect out of this second meeting, after the first one they had? She did not know... She had enough time to dread this moment, to think about its outcome but it was always blurry. In the end she could have only hoped it would have ended better.
Mimiru remains silent, leaning against the wall, averting her eyes from Jiro. Looking at her made her felt so much guilt, regret and doubts right now that she didn't want to endure his gaze upon her.
"Please, be careful..." Mimiru says, her voice filled with resignation. She knows enough about her brother that she won't be able to change his mind, and forcing him to do so would only make things worse. At least, she learned that through the years she had spent with him.
"Jiro," Mimiru adds, after a moment, "I hope that, one day, you'll be able to forgive me. But Jiro, I want you to know..." She turns around and finally looks up at Jiro, "That all I've ever wanted... All the Mimiru you used to know ever wanted was for you to be happy..."
Mimiru leans her head against her wall and she waves her hand up, almost dismissingly. "Do what you must... You've never listened to me anyway."
So that was what Jira was doing.
Daniel shakes a fist at Jiro. He was furious, watching what the stray was doing to Mimiru. To see him reject his family so casually for... the first kind face. Jiro was many things. And it was clear to Daniel what he was now.
Pretty much a slut.
"This is really what you are doing? Jiro, Jira is using you. You never mentioned her before. For all we know, she is lying! You are only trusting her because she reached out to you! And here is your family, your own sister, coming to you in tears...."
"And you shun her."
Daniel Jack flares up with a bit of energy, his temper rising in turn. "You know what. Mimiru says we are alike. But that's the difference between you and me. I was literally crawling on the grass when a complete stranger asked me for help to find you. And I listened to her, and I helped her. That's because I help people. I see myself as a positive contribution to people. And you? You want to know what you act like?"
"A god damn loser."
Daniel sits on the bed, gripping his leg. "Jiro, I can't even wrap my head around what you are doing anymore. I understand the fear. But I can't understand the hate. I can't understand how you choose the crowds that use you. Let me ask you this Jiro."
"Would Alma and Rust want you to abandon your sister like this?"
Mimiru... all that she wanted him to be was happy. Happiness. There was something that Jiro never really had. The eyes cast low, turning his head away from Mimiru as he starts to step away.
...And then Daniel speaks.
Growling. Jiro is gritting his teeth with annoyance the more that Daniel, a total stranger, is telling him what he is doing with his life. This guy speaks to him as if he knows him. That is what is pissing the Stray Dog off. He turns to face Danel.
"Bitch, do you not know me, so step the %&#^ off!" He growls angrily at the older man. "You do not know Jira either, so shut your god damn mouth!"
As the energy wells in Daniel, the flames light within Jiro. Where as previously, the flames had been burning white through the fight against Ash. Guess what?
His flames are as black as the midnight sky.
"Your words mean shit to me. You're an eyesore. Die."
His eyes narrow as he turns his head away.
"Heh..."
Jiro closes his eyes before, "I'm used to people turning their backs on me." His eyes furrow his eyebrow, eyes cast towards the ground.
... There is that eight year old Jiro trying to reach out to his father, only for him to turn his back to go on to his life.
... That young teenaged Jiro reaching out to Taira, who turned his back on him, leaving him to get beaten by his lackeys.
... And then Kain, that Jiro felt was a father figure, turned his back on him.
... And seeing Mimiru, all grown up...
"What's one more?"
.. And she turned her back on him.
Jiro has honestly given up. "...You don't need to understand what I am doing. You are not me. Get that through your fucking head, you fuckwit." His eyes snap towards Daniel before the flames extinguish.
Jiro no longer regards Daniel and he begins walking off.
"Please stop it! Both of you, please...!" Mimiru begs.
Hearing both of them growl and shout at each other in anger, insulting each other for their respective behavior just made matter worse. At the very least, it made Mimiru's heart squeeze harder in her chest. Things were not supposed to unfold like this, everything was wrong...
Mimiru glances up to Jiro, her lips curled into a pout. She lifts one hand up to rub her puffy and swollen eyes, trying to find the words to say, yet finding none. Just a few days ago, she knew all she should have said, everything to make things alright but now it was slipping out of control and she felt overwhelmed, powerless...
History repeats itself -- the harder she tried to get close to him, the farther they seemed to grow from each other.
His last words directed to her felt like a knife in her back and Mimiru's legs tremble. Luckily, she was still leaning on the wall but she lets herself fall to her knees. She felt drained emotionally, sapped of her strength and will.
Daniel had convinced her to look after her brother...
And in the end, what she dreaded the most happened.
Regrets fill her. Thoughts of what she should have or shouldn't have done, yet a sparkle of hope tells her not to let him go away, to cling on to him. That part of her that has been constantly trying to keep the memory of her brother alive through all these years.
Mimiru closes her eyes, on her knees, leaning against the wall. Her body remains limp. She was not able to reach out to him and keep him from leaving her because she was unsure whether or not she could survive another rejection right now.
The difference between strays and detectives.
Daniel Jack stands up in anger, body burning brighter, glaring down the young hellion that would abandon his family for... nothing. Nothing of value, to the detective. Squandering a wealth of family. Jiro may have lost respect for Daniel today, but the detective certainly lost respect for the Kasagi. His teeth gritted, he tightens his fist.
But Mimiru's words break him from it.
Daniel stands down. Clearing aside, he comes to Mimiru. Despite the broken leg, he dips down, and moves himself to keep her upright. And standing tall, he looks towards Jiro, eyes narrowed. "The only thing I understand is that everyone has turned their backs on you. That you've been abandoned. And now, the moment when someone cares about you, someone who loves you, reaches out to you... You've turned your back on her. The only thing that I need to understand is that you hurt the people that love you the most. Not because of who you are."
"But because you choose it."
Daniel's presence was soothing, though Mimiru isn't sure if he wanted him to have witness all of this or to see her like this. Through the past years, Mimiru had done everything in her power to avoid situations like this.
And now more than ever, she remembers exactly why she's lived the way she has for the past years.
Mimiru leans in against Daniel, her body light and unsteady. She keeps her gaze low and remains silent. Even if she wanted to speak, she was unable to make any words come out of her throat.
When she finally speaks again, it's a few moments after Jiro has left, her voice still trembling and shocked, "I.. I'm sorry Daniel, I messed up. I thought I could... Make everything right but..." She lowers her gaze, not wanting to admit it, not wanting to believe it, "... I couldn't,"
Daniel Jack turns to Mimiru.
Placing a hand on her cheek, he looks at her, brown eyes soft. "You didn't mess up, you understand Mimiru? He messed up. He is the one making a mistake. And you have done everything you could to bring him back around. I thought he was a good man. But in the end." He looks towards where Jiro stormed off to.
"He is just a boy."
Mimiru lifts her gaze up slightly to meet Daniel's eyes. Her blue eyes were swollen and red from the tears she's been trying to hold down. This was a side of her few saw, a side she's always tried to repress deep down inside of her.
Right this moment, she felt weak and vulnerable. Powerless.
She hated that feeling.
She leans against Daniel, arms wrapping up around his frame, holding on tightly to him instinctively. Her grasp and hug probably hurting his sore frame and bruised frame. She just needed to hold something, hold someone.
He's just a boy. He was right. But it was just one more reasons why Mimiru should look out after him.
"I won't turn my back on him, I have to watch over him..." Mimiru whispers. "No matter what happens or what he does.. He's my brother..."
Why did Daniel stick his nose in this.
Daniel Jack embraces Mimiru back. The detective cradles her, a hand on her back, another on her neck. He could feel her vulnerability, the sheer trauma of the encounter flowing from her into him. He takes a deep breath, patting her on the back. She was distraught. And who could blame her. And that was what it was, in her whispers. Blaming her.
"Don't, Mimiru."
He states, nearly an order. He guides her back, loosening his grip to look her in the eye. "You aren't turning your back to him. He turned your back on you. He's mad, and confused. I recognize that. He is still a jerk and an idiot, but I recognize why he is doing it. And it is okay to love him, to do what you can for him. But Mimiru." He moves his hand towards Mimiru's cheek, stroking it gently.
"Don't blame yourself for what he is doing."
"But, but..." The girl stammers, her voice trembling with her soft sobbing. Daniel's strict intonation silences her.
When Daniel's grip loosens so he can look her in the eyes, her eyes are puffy and swollen. Tears have rolled down her cheeks, and some still are. His hand on her cheek wipes away some tears and Mimiru closes her eyes at his touch.
His words seem to soothe her some. Mimiru tries to calm down and control her tears.
Daniel didn't have to go through all of this after all. Both had barely met and he had to deal with her breakdown more often than not. "Thank you, Daniel..." Mimiru says, lips curling into a weak smile, "I... I'm sorry you had to see me like this more than you should have..." Mimiru says. She lifts her hand up to cup his hand, squeezing it.
"Don't be sorry."
Daniel Jack was still feeling warm. It wasn't anger though. It was the tears, the puffy eyes. He couldn't even feel his broken leg anymore. All the injuries, all the wounds were distant memories. There was only the concern of Mimiru. To help her, to protect her.
His soft brown eyes stare into Mimiru's own.
"You are brave, and the fact you showed up just proves how much you care for your brother. If anything I should be saying sorry to you. I'm a damned fool for bringing you into this." Mimiru cups his hands, and he holds it tight. His hands are warm. "I'm sorry I have brought so much misery to you on all this. I shouldn't have gotten involved."
Daniel leans in closer...
Mimiru's lips curl into a faint smile. "This was all my decision, in the end... I don't know what I expected out of this..." She lowers Daniel's hand, enjoying his tight and warm grip over it.
Mimiru closes her eyes and she leans in closer to Daniel, her lips seeking his. She lifts her free hand up, fingers rubbing up against his neck to hold one gently against his head. She suckles on his lower lip for a moment, kissing his lips, wishing to drown her pain and saddness into this act, letting it quench that searing sensation inside of her.
Her heart ached, the memories of her brother scorching her from the inside. A brief moment of passion, a desperate effort to forget everything.
That's the only way she's ever known to escape those feelings...
Her hand gently slides from his neck to his shouder and Mimiru gently pulls back, "Daniel, I... You should rest. I'll watch over you," Her lips curl into a smile, "If you're not stubborn enough for that.."
Daniel Jack is lost in the moment.
A moment of weakness. A moment of passion. A motion of reaching out for tenderness. The detective returns the kiss, embracing Mimiru tightly. It was the case, wasn't it. She was emotionally weak, and Daniel was the white knight. The hero. The man who could be relied on. A walking dream.
It takes her to bring him back to earth.
As she pulls away, Daniel Jack's eyes stay closed for a moment. He coughs, clearing his throat. "Yes, hm, yes." He mutters, blinking his eyes open again. The pain returns. Right in the leg. The chest.
The heart.
"I need to rest." He states flatly, moving his hands to Mimiru's arms. He squeezes them, smiling a bit, before releasing the woman. "I'm sorry, the painkillers, I..." He mumbles, turning towards the blood-stained bed. "I..." He nods. "Thank you. I was going to stay up all night, just in case someone tried to jump me in the night." he begins to mutter to himself, rubbing his chin nervously. "Paris is too dangerous now. I need to get out." Daniel Jack pauses a moment. Silence. This dream was gonna end soon. And reality was a harsh mistress. He turns back to Mimiru. Looking her in the eye, voice soft.
"Promise you'll keep me safe?"
This kiss was Mimiru's painkiller. Something to make her forget about this pain. Had Daniel not been in such a shape, she would have probably asked for more, like a junkie who needs her next dose.
Mimiru holds to to Daniel, her arms supporting him as she guides him toward the bed Jiro was in just moments ago, "Don't be sorry..." Mimiru replies, amused, "I owe you so much for what you've done for me, the least I can do is watch over you..." Mimiru tries to support most of his weight and she helps him lie down on the bed.
Mimiru stares back at Daniel, her lips curling into a smile. She lifts her right hand up to caress his cheek, fingers going up slightly to scritch the side his head, "I promise..." Mimiru replies softly.
This was a promise she could keep. She knew though both of them would part very soon, to follow their own path...
Mimiru closes her eyes and she leans in toward Daniel, pressing her lips against his one more time, her hand moving behind his head, fingers curling into his hair, rubbing the back of his head but also holding on to it.
She kisses him more fiercely and passionately than the last time, her lips parting to let her swirling tongue invade Daniel's mouth. She might force herself on him but she didn't care. She needed her dose. She needed this to repress and drown the heartaches she felt, to feel alive.
Just like she always did.
When she lets go, Mimiru smiles softly. It had felt good, but more than ever, she felt a bit of guilt in using Daniel in such ways. Her hand gently scritches the back of his head as she pulls it away.
"Rest well for now, you'll need your strength," She whispers before she pulls away.
If Mimiru needed more medicine, Daniel would be more than happy to supply.
Right now though, the only person who needed to be treated was the detective himself. Daniel is carried along by Mimiru. He was weary. If the fight with Ash burned up his body, it was the Kasagis that burned his heart and soul. Mimiru turns back towards him, and at this point, Daniel Jack didn't know what to expect from the Kasagi.
The second kiss catches him flatfooted.
Daniel Jack's eyes go wide, before rolling to the back of his head. He grips Mimiru again, to kiss her, to sooth her pain. Passion overtakes him as he embraces her tight, leaning her back as the two become one, if only for a minute. And yet, stands back upright. She pulls back, and Daniel Jack can only look into those blue eyes. "Anything for you, my dear." He responds, as he eases himself into the bed. Their time here was limited. She and he would be gone tomorrow.
But at least they would have Paris.
Log created on 15:06:44 09/13/2014 by Mimiru, and last modified on 13:19:48 09/16/2014.