Sakaki was hot, she was tired, and needed a bath. Her Necoconeco T was covered in dirt and grass stains. Across the front, were several claw marks, a grim reminder of the near miss she suffered at the beginning. It was doubtful she'd be able to replace it anytime soon, if at all, since the arcade changed its prizes often. In light of the situation, however, a ruined shirt seemed trivial.
The Skit Tit plopped down in one of the chairs of the hospital's waiting room and buried her face in her hands. Then slowly drew them down, revealing eyes that were slightly red and streaked with tears. There was a boy in the infirmary, because of her, one she hardly knew. Then again, he could say the same where she was concerned, but that hadn't stopped him from coming to her defense against those other two Tamers.
She's not a piece of meat!, she remebered him saying.
Like hell, she's not!, Seichiro had spat back.
The boy hadn't wanted a fight, but it was obvious Seichiro and the other one did, especially Hayami. That one... just the thought of him made her feel dirty. He was crude, condescending, egotistical, and utterly insulting. Sakaki recalled the way he had leered at her during the match, but that wasn't what'd caused her to go off as she'd done on those two girls.
Even now, she wasn't sure what had come over her. Anger, while relatively foriegn to her, was nothing new. But what she'd felt was closer to rage or indignation, maybe both. All she knew was, she hadn't been holding back when she attacked that poor Eva. Then there was that other girl.... Sakaki stared disbelievingly at her trembling hands.
What... what have I done?
She had touched another girl in places she shouldn't have, had touched another girls breasts! She'd even gone so far as to make her... she'd made her c.... Sakaki shut her eyes tight and looked away to drive the ecchi thought from her mind.
No! I'm not like that! I'm not that kind of person!, she told herself. Why had she done that anyway? What made her do something so... twisted? As if in reply, the image of a pair of fangs and a yellow and black bandana, half buried beneath dark unkempt hair came to mind.
Was it him? Was it that boy?
Looking back, Sakaki supposed she could have handled things differently, though suggesting that they not fight was clearly out of the question. Those two had made it up in their minds that they were taking her one way and the other... when it was over.
Thankfully, the other boy hadn't been about to let that happen. Even without a Pokegirl to defend himself, he'd been determined to defend her.
She remembered how Seichiro and Hayami had laughed when they realised his predicament and even harder at his embarrassment. Then, before Sakaki could stop herself, or even knew what she was doing, she had stepped forward.
He has one, she'd told them, the tone of her voice low but firm, he has me.
She had to admit to it being an interesting choice of words now that she thought about it. To her, it sounded as if she'd been declaring herself his rather than she was simply teaming up with him. A bold move for a Pokegirl, provided that was indeed what she'd been doing.
Is that what I was doing?
After lingering on it a moment longer, she leaned back in her seat, head touching the wall, and sighed.
It was almost two hours since they'd arrived at the hospital and still no word on his condition. Sakaki wasn't too worried about his other injuries, just the one he suffered at the end. The boy had lasted longer than she expected and could take a considerable amount of abuse, but even he hadn't been able to withstand a vaccuum slash.
Yomi sat next to her. The spectacled girl hadn't spoken a word since they'd arrived. However, her concern was for Sakaki rather than Ryoga. The poor girl was worred sick; no doubt, blaming herself for what happened. Kagura's thoughts were basically the same, not that Tomo was making it easy for her to think. The younger girl had fallen asleep on her shoulder, apparently worn out from the excitement. Or, perhaps, bored now that it was over. At least, the fighting was anyway. From time to time, Kagura favored her a sideward glance tainted with mild annoyance.
As if on cue, the doctor chose that moment to poke his head into the waiting room. Nyamo appeared moments later, spotting the girls almost immediately.
"What're you all still doing here?" she asked them. "You should be at home resting. Especially you, Sakaki."
The Skit Tit started to object, but Nyamo cut her off.
"No buts. The boy's fine. Aside from the wounds on his back, he's only suffered minor cuts and bruising, nothing serious."
"She's right," the doctor assured them. "Come this time tomorrow, he'll be good as new. All he needs is a good night's sleep, like yourselves. Or would you like me to have four more patients to worry about?" He chuckled.
"No, that won't be necessary doctor. Will it girls?"
"No Ma'am," they chorused.
"Okay then. Yomi, I want you to take her straight home and see to it she gets some rest. Tie her down if you have to." The last bit having been an attempt at humor to lift the girl's spirits.
"Right. Yes Miss," Yomi answered obediently. "Come on Sakaki."
The taller girl hesitated, but eventually relented. As the two started down the hall, Nyamo called after them, prompting them to turn.
"Oh, Sakaki. I'll come by once I'm finished here. We need to talk."
"Okay," the shy girl said quietly with a light nod of her head.
When Nyamo saw that Kagura and Tomo hadn't moved, she added, "That goes for you too, I hope you know."
At her coach's insistence, Kagura lept to her feet and mock saluted, "Yes, Ma'am!" This, of course, caused Tomo to faceplant into Kagura's now vacant seat, startling her awake.
"What in th-!"
"Shut up and c'mon!" Kagura mumbled at her, seizing her by the back of her collar as she dragged her off. Tomo struggled and complained the entire time til they were finally out of earshot.
When they were gone, Nyamo turned to the doctor and said, "Now then, about what you were saying before...."
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(Posted Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:49)
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