Haou Airen

Chapter One: Savior

"Good work today, Amu-chan. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, boss." With a respectful bow, I headed out through the sliding doors of the convenience store and began walking home.

The air was crisp and sharp but had the slight scent of fried food. The cold wind stabbed me like a thousand knives, as I tightened my arms around me to keep the heat from leaving my body. Everything was enveloped in darkness except for the patches of light on the road from the streetlamps. The silent hums of the passing cars were soothing to my ears, as they harmonized with the clicks of my feet. Stray dogs and cats sang mournful melodies, begging for the day that they will find a warm home.

I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a group of men standing by the corner. In this kind of environment, they looked out of place clad in all black with their backs slouching and sneers on their lips. An ominous aura hovered over their heads, and I knew it was no longer safe to take the usual route to get home. I tried really hard to blend in with the background, hoping they wouldn't notice me there. I took a few quiet, careful steps backwards.

There was only one alternate way to get home, which was through the dark, smelly alleyway. I usually didn't go this way because of my unreasonable fear that someone may be lurking in the darkness. With danger staring me in the face, I had no other choice but to face my fears to save myself.

When I was only a few steps away from the alley, one of the men noticed my presence.

"Boss, there's a girl over there. She's alone."

All the men looked in my direction, their beady eyes boring holes through my body. I couldn't breathe, nor could I walk anymore. I stood there helpless like a deer in headlights.

"Hey there, little girl. You're cute, aren't you? Can you come over here? We'd like to ask you a few questions. Don't worry, we won't bite." His sugar-coated words beckoned to me. When I didn't budge, the man's smile turned into a frown. With a wave of his hand, the rest of the men positioned themselves to run. "Get her."

Before I even had time to blink, they were sprinting towards me with their eyes like savaged beasts. Instinct kicked in as I sprinted through the alley and rounded the corner into another one.

From a distance, I could hear their conversation. "Boss, we lost her. She's a fast runner."

"You idiot. How could you let her get away? She might know where that goddamned man is hiding! You must find him and kill him, you understand me?" The voice demanded fiercely. In unison, the rest of the group screamed yes, as their footsteps faded into the distance.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, footsteps were heading towards me. I backed up against the brick wall, blending in with the darkness.

"Boss, I think I saw him run in here!" The footsteps were getting closer, each click of his shoes more daunting than the previous. My breathing was becoming shallow, and my heart felt as if it would leap off of my chest. When he was only a few more steps away, I prepared myself to scream.

Before I even had time to suck in air, a hand was clasped over my mouth and an arm anchored me against a person. "If you scream, I swear to God, I will kill you," A man whispered viciously in my ear. His hot breath tickled my skin and sent shivers down my spine. We stood like that for what felt like hours, as our heart beats pounded in synchronization. The tension and anxiety made my entire body tremble, as I tried to hold back the tears. Was he really going to kill me?

"Come back here, you idiot! There's nothing over there!" A different man from the same group commanded. The footsteps from before faded into the distance, leaving me alone with the malicious stranger.

Though the previous threat was gone, he still didn't let go in fear of me giving away our position. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if you give me reason to. Do we have an understanding?" I gave a slight nod in response. He let go, and the warmth from his body was replaced by the bitter cold. "Don't let them find you," He warned as he walked deeper into the alleyway.

I couldn't move. My heart kept pumping faster and faster, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. My body was numb from the cold, but also from the shock. Did that really just happen?

When I finally found my legs, I began walking away. From behind me, there was a grunt of pain and a huge thump that followed right after, the sound of someone falling. I stopped in my tracks again, contemplating whether or not I should go back. If I left now, I could save myself from the danger and get home safely. On the other hand, that man could've been in trouble. Wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry? Could I really be selfish and just leave the man who saved me? Both my good and bad conscience were in a raging argument, like devils and angels.

My heart ached.

Without giving it a second thought, I chose righteousness, though I knew I'd go to hell for it. I ran deeper into the alley in search of him. Though I had to strain my eyes to see, the moonlight guided me towards him. There he was on the floor clutching his gut. I could just make out his shallow breathing, indicating he was still alive. There was a puddle of water beneath him, but with closer inspection, I realized it was blood. The reek of iron made me flinch, but I ignored it and lifted him off the ground gingerly. He gave out grunts of pain but endured. I let him lean against me, as I searched his body for the wound. He was bleeding from both his arm and his gut.

This was getting dangerous; the loss of blood could kill him at any moment. I lacked the medical equipment to help him, so I needed to improvise. I took off my jacket and ripped off one of the sleeves from the seams. The arm of my jacket was wrapped around the wound on his arm and the rest was wrapped around his gut. That would slow down the loss of blood, but I was running out of time. I needed to get him to my house to treat his injuries. Thankfully, my house was only three blocks away from our current location.

As he leaned against me for support, we walked towards my house. Every step was agonizing, especially since he'd wince and grunt from the pain. We pressed on, going as fast as his legs would let him. I was always on the look out for the strange men, but they never came. In ten minutes time, we were at my front door. Quietly, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The lights were all off, and the quiet breathing upstairs indicated that my little sister was sleeping.

Quickly yet carefully, I placed him onto the futon on the floor then rushed to retrieve the medical supplies. Next, I needed to strip him of his clothes in order to gain access to his wounds. I was hesitant; I had never seen a boy naked before. Shaking off the thought, I told myself that I had no other choice and proceeded to take off his clothes. The blood rushed to my face at the sight of his broad chest.

He was still breathing heavily and sweating bullets. His expression was pained, like he wanted to die to end his suffering. I wasn't going to let that happen.

When I looked at his stomach, I saw that the wound was much worse than I had expected. Blood was gushing to the floor, staining the white futon sheets. I wiped the blood away with a cloth and proceeded to apply alcohol of the injury. He yelled in agony but was trying to restrain himself. Hoping it would dull the pain, I gave him some strong painkillers to drink, which knocked him out completely unconscious. I then added some disinfectant and more herbal remedies to the swelling wound. I did the same to the injury on his arm. When the swelling stopped, I took my needle and thread and began stitching up the wound on his stomach and his arm. Right after, I wrapped bandages over the stitches carefully.

My heart calmed down as I let out a sigh of relief. Then, realization dawned on me. I saved him, I actually saved his life. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done.

I glanced at the sleeping man before me. His long navy hair was ruffled, with his bangs casting shadows over his face. His eyelashes were long and full, which made me quite jealous. The expression on his face was peaceful. Out of curiosity, my eyes wandered over to his half naked body. His chest was broad, and his arms were toned with muscle. Underneath the bandages, I could tell that he had washboard abs. His olive skin glittered with the beads of sweat. How could a man be so beautiful? It seemed too impossible.

Exhaustion was getting the better of me, making my sight hazy. I could no longer hold on as I succumbed to my fatigue.

The light streaming through the window blinded my eyes, causing me to wince. I felt drowsy and didn't wish to get up, as I moaned in exasperation. There was a chuckle; the voice sounded so familiar yet I couldn't put a name to it. Curiously, I opened my eyes slowly, only to meet with piercing, dark blue orbs. The eyes sparkled in the sunlight like the ocean.

"Enjoying the view?"

Only when I processed those words did I realize I was staring, which was really impolite. I felt like an idiot. "Um, sorry. I'll go make some breakfast." I purposely avoided his gaze and headed towards the kitchen. He chuckled again, only this time I saw him smile.

My heart skipped a beat. That was the first time I saw him smile.

"There's no need to make breakfast. I'll be leaving soon, anyway," He said apathetically, his smile disappearing.

I looked up only to see him walking towards me. "You shouldn't move around yet. You'll open your wounds," I warned worriedly, but he wouldn't take heed in my words. He kept on walking, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You know, before I leave I should give you a present for saving me." I was beginning to get nervous. Could I really trust a man who threatened to kill me?

His face was inches away from mine, making me quite uncomfortable. As if he could read my thoughts, his eyes searched through mine, looking for any hint of resistance.

I couldn't help myself; I needed to know. "What's your name?"

He was taken aback by the question, but answered nonchalantly. "Ikuto."

Without warning, he leaned in and kissed me. I didn't know whether or not that was his real name, but I didn't care. His lips were soft against mine and tasted like peaches. His sweet scent enveloped me, filling my nostrils with such a pleasant fragrance of cologne. We kissed for what felt like hours. I couldn't stop myself from deepening the kiss, for I was too infatuated. Suddenly, his tongue slipped into my mouth and pushed something deep into my throat. When I swallowed, I realized it was a pill.

"We'll meet again, Amu-chan." He whispered huskily into my ear, his hot breath making my skin tingle with pleasure.

My eyesight became hazy and I got dizzy. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I fell to the floor and surrendered to the darkness.

Author's Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it! Please remember to review if you want the second chapter!

Disclaimer: This story is based off of the manga Haou Airen by Mayu Shinjo. All rights belong to her. Also, I do not own Shugo Chara. I own nothing. Thank you.

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