The Nervous Game

Summary-It wasn't that Haine hated women. He just valued his sanity to stay far away from them. Until Naoto appeared.

Pairings-HainexNaoto (?) I guess...if you look at it really hard...and squinted...through a large pair of glasses...

Disclaimer- Do I really need to put on here? I'm pretty sure you can all figure out I don't own DOGS.

Haine wondered how he got roped into this in the first place.

Certainly, if it were up to his own free choice, he would have never agreed to going along with that girl.

But everyone else was busy and preoccupied with something or another on that very day; And there was no one available to go out and buy all the groceries without setting off in a long list of complaints on why they couldn't go, followed by a giant rant. So it was up to Haine and her to run the errands. Badou would somehow manage to cause more damage than good and Haine wasn't willing to let sweet, angelic Nil wander the dangerous streets alone.

As they walked down the streets, Haine couldn't help but eye the girl trailing behind him. Naoto was reserved and silent as usual, the same she had always acted whenever she was around Haine. She walked quietly behind him, and he didn't feel comfortable at all. Haine was not used to members of the female population. He knew to keep his distance away from them, because they were a threat to his sanity, to his state of mind, to his mental condition.

Naoto acted as if he wasn't there.

Which was perfectly fine with him.

It was at that moment that he realized how close she was.

"Get away!"

Naoto's reflexes instantly kicked in and her hand immediately moved to her katana. Constantly years of drilling and training had prepared the girl for facing any foe in battle and she was more jumpy than usual. She was expecting some sort of ambush but the sword was barely unsheathed when Naoto realized that there were no enemies in sight.

"What?" her gaze fell on Haine and she understood. "Oh, that."

He counted the sound of her footsteps, holding his breath as the girl's retreating distance took away the excessive noise in his head with each step. Haine was only able to breathe a sigh of relief when he could no longer feel the threatening presence. And Haine only looked up from his own protective grip when the pounding in his head retreated to a quiet tolerable beat. Even hanging around the girl -no matter how short the moment, no matter how far the distance- always brought back the same impulse of fear and insanity within him.

He hated feeling so weak and vulnerable.

As though he was going to go insane. Like he was going to lose control again.

Naoto turned and looked exasperatedly.

'How is this my fault?'

But she didn't say anything.

Haine shoved his hands into his pocket, crushing the grocery list in its tight grip. He didn't move until the pounding in his head left and trailed after her from a safe distance. The rest of the travel was filled with a strange silence. Like an unstated agreement between them that demanded both of them to be quiet.

This was all Badou's fault.

Really, the mission was supposed to be very simple. But as the hours dragged on it became obvious that Badou was taking way too much time. Which led to the conclusion that either he was in some serious trouble or more likely- Badou messed up, again.

Haine was used to guard duty. Familiar with the long hours waiting for the enemy to appear, the right time to jump into action, or for the rapid gunfire that signaled trouble. His nights were often spent on assigned missions in this dangerous town, watching the stars appear and fade in the blank midnight sky.

He just wasn't expecting the girl to tag along.

It figures that something like that would happen. Naoto had already followed them on their previous missions, and it looked like she wasn't going to go away any time soon. It could hardly count as a surprise when she also went with them on overnight guard duty.

They had spent the first couple of hours in complete and absolute silence. Neither was willing to acknowledge the other's existence as they sat together in front of a presumably abandoned building. There was tension between them that remained unbroken throughout the hours. After the clock's hands moved past midnight, Haine started to notice his companion's head begin to nod and she was having trouble keeping her eyes awake.

"Don't start falling asleep now."

Naoto glared.

"I won't."

But as the minutes dragged on, it became harder and harder for her to stay conscious. Haine pitied her situation, even just for a little bit. He did not envy her at all. Naoto was not used to staying up for long hours of the night to complete random missions. Then again, she probably never worked along with anyone before.

Naoto's head hang down, her black hair shielding the side of her face so Haine couldn't see her expression. Her eyes shut tight and deep breaths escaped from her mouth as her chest moved rhythmically with her breathing. Naoto's figure lay still and limp; filled of fatigue from the long week and never-ending missions. The black katana that she always carried around with her was press tightly to her body with a protective arm clenching it in place. Whiteness spread across the back of the knuckles from holding the katana too tight in her grip.

Haine wonder when it happened. When he had started to become accustom to her presence?

After being around the girl for so long, it amazed him how (not exactly comfortable, but-) used he was to Naoto's company. There were still times when he would catch himself lapsing back into the state at the beginning of their (friendship? relationship?) association, when even the nearest distance between them would send him into a chaotic shock. But those times were spread out and didn't occur as frequently as before.

Haine sighed, perhaps he shall never know.

It confused him. Not like the type of frenzy of insanity that usually grip his head, but a more annoying thought that he couldn't come in terms with. And leaning back on the wall, Haine accidentally brushed over her hand.

His heart slipped a beat.

And his world exploded.

The right wall of the building suddenly exploded along with the unmistakable scent of gunpowder and explosives. Gunshots and bullets filled the air, and confusion and chaos clouded everyone's judgment. Haine was confounded at first, deafened and blinded by the blast and Naoto immediately awoke in the midst of the confusion. Then the sudden appearance of a red figure sprinted through the thick smoke, evading its way through all the mayhem and disorder.

"What the-"

"Gotta go, gotta go, gottagogottago!"

They could only stare in amazement as Badou ran right past them, his coat flying through the night air with loads of gunfire and bullets trailing after him. No doubt, Badou had dug a deeper grave for himself by forgetting about the other people on this mission. Haine muttered a couple of profanities, grabbed Naoto and ran after his 'partner in crime'.

"So I take it the mission didn't go so well?" was the dry comment from the girl.

"Really? What gave you that idea?"

The spray dogs led the way as they ran into the night. Haine didn't notice until far later that he never broke his grip around Naoto's wrist throughout the escape.

The church was eerily quiet that evening.

Haine considered the fact that the midnight hour just made everything seem more frightening and terrifying as he walked down the pews. Everyone was asleep, safe under the hidden protection of the night, tucked away in the safety of their dreams. Expect for Haine, who had just returned from another walk outside in the frosty night and the bitter wind.

His feet brought him down the halls to the rooms where he usually slept. Haine was caught by surprise when the bathroom door opened and Naoto stepped out.

Her black hair was soaked with shower water that dripped and fell on the towel around her shoulders. For once the katana was nowhere in sight, and Haine was surprised at how unguarded and fragile she looked. Naoto was dressed in an over-sized white blouse that she must have borrowed from someone. He could see the white bandages peeking out from under her sleeves. No doubt, they were the injuries she had acquired from the previous mission.

Naoto stood still, as though waiting for something to happen.

"It's late." he commented, not knowing what else to say.

She stared at him.

"I know that. I was just heading to bed."

Haine nodded and moved, stopping just next to Naoto's side. Too close, too personal, but not exactly touching each other. He stared at the bandages that she had tried to hide under her clothes, noticing the whiteness of the wrapping was nothing compared to the paleness of her skin. She looked so skinny and scrawny, nothing at all like the dangerous maiden on the battlefield. But those wrists knew how to handle a deadly blade and she could defend and fight for herself. Her hand reached up to brush away a strand of hair, the fingers shaking and the arm trembling in movement. How serious were her injuries? He could feel the warmth radiating from her body, and the apple-scented aroma that clung around her figure.

This was the closest he had stood near Naoto.

"Watch yourself next time."

"Aah." she spoke, noting that Haine made a point not to touch her as he walked past.

Haine paused after entering the bathroom. As the door swung shut behind him, he didn't dare move, only looking at the parchment colored walls. His back hit the closed door in a sudden state of defeat and his head stared at the flickering lights of the out-dated light bulb. He listened to the echo of the retreating footsteps on the opposite side.

Once again, Haine still had no idea what to make of the situation.

His blood pulsed. And he didn't know if it was coming from the throbbing of his head or the hammering of his heart.

Now I'm looking at my account and this question arose to my mind-

Why is there a het pairing in MY yaoi-obsessed fanfiction account?

Strangely enough, I actually don't mind if Naoto ends up with Haine. Although in a series like DOGS that's highly unlikely and I don't see the mangaka adding something like that, but I would support something like that. This is very bizarre for me, since I often take a strong disliking (loathing) towards many female characters/leads in ANY series. I can't stand weak, girly characters but I really like the action badassery girls.

There's an OVA coming out for DOGS.

...Best Christmas present. Ever.