Post by Fusae Umezono on Mar 31, 2009 0:35:59 GMT -5
The Okina station wasn't one of Nephi's favorite places to hang out, but it happened to be one of the most fruitful in terms of endearment and cash-raking. All anyone had to do was bump into another person, quickly snag a coin purse or wallet, and continue to walk on their way. However, Nephi hated the challenge. It was risky, but he also knew just how anal people could get over a few hundred yen.
With an inaudible grumble, he stretched, resting a hand upon his blond hair. With a slight ruffle, he eyed the crowd, much like a lioness searching for a potential weakened prey. For some reason, there were more than enough businessmen to take out a random corporation, but this also meant that there must be money flowing out there, somewhere.
"Hmn, I wonder if I'll get lucky today~." Nephi muffled a snicker, wriggling himself to mingle with the moving "herd". It wouldn't take but a bump, a quick motion, and maybe. . . a run-in with one of the goody-two-shoes Investigation Team.
---
She'd had to get out of Inaba. Go clear her head or something, away from all the kidnapping rumors and murder scares, away from the housewives who couldn't find anything else to talk about. Not like the trains were any better: too many people, too close together, and they practically swept her out of the train car once the doors opened out to the station.
Thank god for Okina, what with it being a real city and all. Just the right amount of smog and noise to make it vacation from Inaba. For a moment she just stood there, a little dumbfounded, but then shook her head, as if to snap back to reality.
Right. Time to wake up. Get the old swagger back in her step, the glint in her eyes, whatever. Out here, no one had known what had happened and no one cared. They made eye contact with the point a few inches in the air from her head and kept walking. She needed this.
So she took up the same stare, focused on the point a few inches from the head of the person in front of her, and strode into the crowd.
---
He had already snagged close to six-thousand yen just in the couple of hours he had been roaming the crowd. It was great, lucky even, except for when he happened to look over his shoulder.
There, amidst the crowd of suits and other attire, was the mis-matched body of the hag that had /stolen/ the change from his very pocket! Quickly, he turned around, fighting against the crowd to get to her. With a sidestep, a bump, and a twirl, Nephi snagged what seemed to be something other than money-- a cellphone. Well, if it wasn't money, then perhaps he could pawn it somewhere?
Now that he had gathered his /revenge/, he continued to walk away from the female, hoping that she doesn't have another pair of damn tongs on her!
/Those things hurt like HELL./
---
Being bumped into hadn't been the part that set alarm bells ringing in her head, it had been the warning glimpse of unruly blond hair and tanned skin, the dark eyeliner (which, she was willing to bet, was probably originally stolen off of his mother's vanity, if anything), the glint of fervent determination in his eyes. He was trouble. That was all. And she was willing to be the better person. Hell, she was ready to keep on ignoring him and go on her way.
But then he'd just bumped into her and moved on, without so much as his little sneer, and the gears in her head started turning. She slowed, eyebrows furrowed as she forced other pedestrians to go around her. She'd seen something like those moves before, when she was younger and street-stupid and had to have Otoyo hold her up in the gang. Back then, she'd walked away with a missing wallet, and her whining had inspired Otoyo to whack her upside the head. Frantically she ran a hand to her back jeans pocket, breathed a sigh of relief when her wallet was still there -- then her hand came around to the (suspiciously empty) front pocket on that side, and everything clicked into place.
Fffffuck. God, oh god this stupid-ass little kid who thought he had it so tough...
"Just fuckin' determined to make me miserable," she hissed to herself as she scanned the crowd. It wasn't too hard to spot the bright blond, even if he'd been smart about it for once and tried to duck behind some much taller men while still strutting about like he didn't have a care in the world. It was perfect pick-pocket form. But hell, he might as well have had a cross-hair on him, been walking about with a floating neon sign above his head that said 'Come Get Me', run willy-nilly into an empty field buck-naked, for all the good it did him.
No, she didn't have a pair of tongs on her. But she figured she didn't need it, as she stormed her way into the crowd.
It'd been a very, very, rough almost-two-weeks, after all.
---
Nephi grinned as he flicked the cell's lid open with the tip of his thumb. If it had been locked beforehand, then this clearly solved the problem. First thing first; he started to switch around the display and features, then proceeded to check through any numbers and texts he could. This, of course, wasn't allowing him to pay attention to his surroundings.
With a sudden movement, his shoulder caught the edge of a street sign, scraping with a miserable force. Nephi hissed aloud, slipping a few curse words in his frustration before continuing on his way. It was then, THEN, than he caught the sight of the old hag checking the crowd--
And spotting HIM.
"SHIT!"
He mouthed the word, turning upon a heel, then making a mad dash towards the nearest alley. He was short, but this didn't mean that he didn't have the speed behind him.
Surely he would get away.
Surely, he wouldn't be caught. . .
. . . and get his ass kicked.
---
She swore, once she caught up with him she was going to give him a good talk on why you didn't just run away right off the bat. Once you ran, there was no doubt that you had done something wrong.
...And how not to run out of the relative safety of the crowd (where she wouldn't smack him around some) for the dingy abandoned alleyways. For the love of god, this kid was a winner, wasn't he? If she wasn't in such a bad mood and desperate to get her cellphone back, she almost would have laughed. Instead, her angry scowl twisted into a victorious grin at his mistakes; the fact that others in the crowd shuffled quickly out of her way when they saw it only meant she picked up speed. The kid was in for a world of hurt.
She took the sharp turn into the alley at a skid, long legs covering ground like the brat never could (although he really was making up for it, out of sheer panic), grabbing a fire escape or corner here and there to make sure she didn't miss any of the turns he'd made. Slippery little bastard.
...not so slippery that he couldn't run into a dead end, though. ...Well, unless he was into scaling eight-foot-tall, rusty wire fences. It wasn't that hard, though, when you were scared enough and there was your angry pursuer staring you down from the only other exit.
"You know," she spat out, in between deep breaths, her hand beckoning out in the universal give-me-that-or-you're-dead gesture, "If you really wanted my number that bad, you could have just fucking asked for it, prick."
That evil little smile said far more, though.
---
Yet, as much as he loved his speed-- his leg length wasn't any match for Fusae's own.
He glanced over a shoulder, taking a peek at the running figure behind him. This caused him to smirk; this, being the girl's posture as she ran. It was utmost hilarious, but he had no room to laugh! What would someone think of a midget running, anyway? ...
Quickly, he took another turn- a quick left into a dead end. But not just any dead end, but a massive brick wall with just enough boxes to climb upon to get over-- if he had the dexterity and strength to match his speed.
As he lifted a boot to stomp upon the last box in his way, his ankle buckled, causing Nephi's supports to diminish to the ground below. There he hung, hands latched upon the top of the wall as his legs dangled just in sights of Fusae. Her cell was held rather. . . carefully between his canines as he muttered a get-back-or-I'll-crunch-it warning.
Again and again he tried to heave himself over the barrier, but it remained fruitless.
"'Dis... fuh..-kin sahks...."
---
"Yeah, karma's a bitch."
...
...Oh god, this was like being mad at the "Hang In There!" kitten poster. Except that the kitten poster never tried to piss you off. The only thing that could possibly have made it better would be if he'd actually fallen. Although the fact he was still trying to drag himself up for the tenth time was totally worth it.
"...So, uh, want a boost?" She smirked, lacing her fingers together in a mock Tensies. At least she didn't laugh outright, not like it helped much.
Sure, he could try to gnaw on her phone, but that was about the worst he could do at the moment. Worst come to worst, she could just hang out here so he wouldn't want to come down, leave him hanging for a while until his arms went numb, no real harm done. Not like the dumbass didn't deserve a good punch or two.
---
It was way passed the tenth time he had tried to heave himself upon the barrier-- yet, there was no end in sight. He continued, over and over, deep breaths heaving over the surface of the now wet cell; dripping from condensed breath and saliva. Nephi even thought that he heard the screen crack beneath his teeth.
Once, just once, he managed to get the toe of his boot over the barrier, only to have the toe slip and slide back down. This caused enough force to be placed upon his arms, jarring them from their more secure place. With a loud thud, he landed upon his spine-- upon a corner of one of the fallen boxes. A yelp was emitted, allowing the phone to drop from his mouth and upon the ground next to his face.
He was clearly too tired and too sore to move. Not after what had seemed like HOURS of fruitless efforts.
"I DIDNT NEED... YOUR DAMN HELP, JEEZE." He breathlessly groaned, arching his back, "... ouch."
---
Fusae just stood back, hands on her hips and eyebrows furrowed in a look of confusion, and watched the younger boy's struggle. Because what else could she do? He sure as hell wasn't going to come down easy--
And then his arms gave out and he slipped. And-- and oh god you weren't supposed to land like that..! Forget the cellphone; besides, it could stand to... well, dry out. How was he supposed to pay to repair it if he had broken his back, anyways?
"Holy fu-- KID. What the hell are you thinking?" She crouched down by his head, ignoring his protests. Of course, too tired to hang a bit longer, but not tired enough to stop bitching. "Goddammit, are you really that dumb? S'not like I'll bite-" Well, not bite, but about ten minutes ago she'd been ready to at least smack him around.
Grimacing at the imagined pain, she let the roughness slide out of her voice a little (he really was just a kid, not much different from her girls back home, it was just a habit of hers). "And don' be in a rush to move, seriously. Just..." He arched and she cringed. "Yeah, don't do that."
---
Nephi immediately paused all of his movements, unsure of what he had just /heard/. Had the old woman just... sounded like one of those normal people, with concerns and the sort. Should she be? Really...?
His eyes narrowed, head tilting just enough to look at the female at a rather awkward angle. Still, he didn't bother to gripe or complain, but remained silent because of all the confusion. His parents didn't care. His brother didn't care. Hiroki nor anyone else that he encountered had even displayed an ounce of concern.
But this was different.
Slowly, he grinned; then a snicker formulated. He /laughed/! Each time he inhaled, another sharp ping of pain traveled along his spine. But he could spare the moment to the pain, just for the sake of amusement.
"Why do ya care, huh? This makes the second time I've stolen somethin' from you, and you're not beatin' the hell outta me?" Nephi groaned, trying to tilt upon his side. "You're weird. An ugly bitch even. But I'unno anyone else who would bother messin' around with me, anyway. Much less, /care/."
---
Of course he would be sitting there, in (probably tremendous) pain, laughing and making it hurt worse, and then think she was weird. Of course. Why hadn't she expected it when he was obviously too stupid to just jump down normally to avoid this entire mess? Despite the fact she hadn't even so much as touched him when he'd practically been helpless up on the wall for a few minutes? No matter what he did, it was always some roundabout, twisted, complex bit of over-thinking.
"'Cause I do." Against better judgement. Really, really, against her better judgement. "And smacking you around after that fall wouldn'... well, it wouldn't sit right with me. It'd kind of be overkill."
She shook her head in slow disbelief and exasperation at the boy sprawled on the pavement. "Kid, you aren't the type to just have a good day, are you?"
---
" ... What?" He couldn't believe what he had heard. Really, did. . . was it true? He furrowed his brows, making sure that he heard correctly. Or rather, underneath it all, he wanted to hear it.
From someone, anyone. . .
With a subtle thud, he landed back upon his spine, arching just slightly from the contact upon the ground. For once, Nephi smiled. A sincere smile- mostly because, hey, it was only her around, after all.
"A good day is everyday that you're alive, woman." He murmured, tilting his head towards the female, "A bad day is knowing that you'll not make it to the next. Heh."
---
This kid was crazy, the type of crazy she hadn't seen in a long time. The type of crazy you walked on the other side of the street to avoid.
But under all the crazy, if you could ever reach that far, maybe he wasn't nearly as tough as he acted. He wouldn't be smiling like that if that wasn't the case (unless he really had taken a blow to the head when he fell. Maybe she better call an ambulance once her phone wasn't so...gross).
Fusae's lips twitched in a wry grin of her own. "You really need to up your standards, then."
---
After a few moments, Nephi was finally able to sit upright without (as much) pain. Though he hated to say that he had so much pain in the first place, as admittance wasn't his strongest suit. Slowly he lifted his hand, rubbing along the hair line upon his fore.
"My standards? I'm livin', there's nothin' to it."
With a quick movement, a hitch of his breath, and a loud yelp, he jumped to his feet; his spine certainly not straight compared to his usual posture. After a moment of deep breathing, he kicked the phone to it's owner, rolling his eyes as he began to meander along the alley.
"Maybe. . . you need to lower yours, g'hh."
---
Fusae lived by the advice of Walk It Off, but that only really worked when you could at least stand up straight. And if he kept getting hit like that and walking away after, he wouldn't be living too long. She stood up, pocketing her phone (after picking it up with the very tips of her index finger and thumb. she'd worry about the drool later).
God, the kid could barely walk in a straight line. Giving an annoyed "Hrmph", Fusae followed, not caring if he would get mad at her.
"Maybe you should start by seein' a doctor, getting an ice pack, somethin'. You're not going to be running much more if you keep up like that," she grumbled, pulling even with him.
And dammit, she would barrage him like this until he listened to some sense.
---
Nephi complained, horribly, as he could sense the female follow him. It was bad enough that he was hurt, but what made it so much worse was the fact that she was badgering him.
Finally, he turned, an expression of distress overwhelming his face. With a slow tilt, he found himself leaning against her-- and thankfully, it wasn't as hard of a landing as he had taken earlier.
"I don't have an ice pack and doctors hate me," rather, it was he whom hated the doctors, "I'm fine, as long as you can stand still for a few minutes... old woman."
---
At first she thought he was going to just keel over, judging by the look he gave her; he would just hit the ground hard, complaining and all. But when he didn't hit concrete but instead leaned against her for balance, Fusae stiffened and nearly froze completely.
What the hell was wrong with this kid? Besides the probably traumatic shock to his spine, that was. And the attitude problem. And the bitching. And the way he switched from apparent utter hate to... well, she'd gone a step up from 'hag' or 'ugly bitch', kind of.
"I don't care if you hate doctors. If you don't suddenly get better in five minutes, you're getting some real help," she said, her voice still a bit softer than she would have liked and her hands shoved in her pockets as if she had to find something to do with them. The kid was lucky he wasn't healthy enough for her to just drag him off without worry like she used to do for her old girls. "You don' just get up and walk off from a fall like that. Look at you, will'ya?"
---
He hissed from the sudden jarring of the female as she moved her hands into her pockets, not liking the movements at all.
"T'ch! More than five minutes, I bet. If you can help me home, I bet ma' would give you /something/."
It was a bribe, but a long shot. He'd rather go home than to stay in a white washed room with the smell of sickly inhabitants searing his nostrils.
"Or, if there's anywhere better you can think of, then go ahead. Jus' don't hold onto me like I'm dyin' or anythin'."
---
She paused at how the kid winced at every movement she made, and sighed when he decided to grumble instead of finding some less awkward way of staying on his feet.
"...Kiddo, this is kinda outta the range of a mother's TLC, you know? I mean, you need actual help." ...Oh, like he was actually going to listen. "Look, if you want... there's a smaller doctor's office 'round here. Nothing fancy, just some family-run place that's been around for a while." Heck, she wouldn't even know about it if it hadn't been at her cousin's insistence.
"...You mean you can actually walk? 'Cause if not, you aren't getting far without me, kid."
Yeah, it was a little mean, a little teasing, but he could deal with that if he wanted her help. If she didn't, it'd be almost too weird for her; she didn't really do good-deeds-of-the-day.
---
Nephi hesitated from the offer, unsure of whether it should be taken as a mocking gesture, or genuine interest. After all, small tokens of appreciation wasn't at all part of his daily dose of terrorism.
"I don't need a doctor..." Murmuring, he tilted his head, showing the slightly smudged eyeliner from the corner of his eye. "I just need to lay down."
After muttering those last words, he began to stretch-- but a sharp pain kept him from accomplishing this. Instead, his breath hitched, the startled spasms creating a black wall in his eyes.
He had passed out upon the female; his full weight upon her body. The only thing that kept him upright was the clenched fist holding her clothing at her hip, hidden by his own body.
After all, why would he show such a weakness? -- Unless he's a stupid ass and PASSES OUT.
---
...Oh fucking come on.
She muttered a choice string of curse words to herself as she was jolted from the sudden pile-on of weight. The older woman shifted a shoulder under his arm, prying his fingers off of her shirt and jeans belt loop as she adjusted the dead weight. Thank god he was so small for such a brat. She'd dragged heavier people before.
"Yeah, right, no doctor. Sure kid. Stupid freaking retarded little--"
She kept up the steady stream of grumbling to herself all the way down the alleys, towards the family practice doctor's office, holed up in a tiny building's ground floor, right below an accountant's office and dentist. The other patients and the nurse at the front desk shot her a more than reasonably annoyed look, one that turned to almost-panic when she realized that the boy Fusae was dragging wasn't in the least bit conscious.
Things moved fast then, and Fusae was more than happy to have the nurse usher them off into room down the hall, with the promise that most of the paperwork would be filled out right after they looked up the name on the student ID in the kid's thin wallet. The doctor merely gave her the briefest of nods here and there, as she recounted how the hell the boy had hurt himself so bad - he was used to patients flubbing a bit in their explanations, anyways, and she was glad he didn't ask her to elaborate beyond the basic details of her story.
Hey, kid fell off a wall, why make it more difficult? And if she didn't have an explanation for some of the older-looking bruises and injuries, it wasn't her fault (although a bit disturbing, on her end. Someone who went around picking wallets didn't get hurt like that... well, unless maybe they had this kid's grace).
And if the kid woke up right about now? Well, not only would it be less awkward to be nervously sitting in the chair by the padded table while the doctor did what he could on the sleeping teenager (who was laid on his stomach, shirt hiked up), but he'd be victim to a badly painted and highly saturated colorful mural of Featherman Ranger R first thing when he opened his eyes. Maybe after that he'd be able to realize that the cooling pack on his back was probably doing a hell of a lot of good, considering.
---
What seemed to be mere seconds of rest happened to turn into a few hours. Although he was completely knocked out, Nephi didn't mind the rest at all. That was... until a flash of an abusive incident jarred the teen awake. His eyes, unfocused, stared at the mottled prism of colors until a more complete picture came into view.
"W-WHAT IN THE HE--" Garbled words spewed as he shifted; his spine cold and void of any pain until he nearly scrambled off of the bed. It wasn't until then that he gasped, clenching upon the surface of the sheets. Nephi's brows furrowed, sweat nearly dripping from his temples.
The pain caused him to lay back down, but his sight never left the female. He wondered what in the hell she was doing there in the first place-- wait, where exactly was 'here'?
"... Hey." The youth grumbled, waving a hand as if to gain her attention. "... I told you, I didn't want to go to any damn doctor!"
---
Oh, good. Finally awake. The kid was lucky she didn't have anything better to do. That, and there was a vending machine in the waiting room, so why bother leaving? Of course he was loud, but she had figured that would be the case a while ago.
Still, stupid of him to go spazzing out like that, and she shook her head disapprovingly as she nibbled on a rice cracker. Just... act like she hadn't forced herself to stop her leg from bouncing, or that the doctor hadn't tried to convince her to leave at least a couple times by now. That she hadn't just paid the (rather cheap, actually) fee for patching him up. Those few hours hadn't done much to calm her nerves, in the long run.
"Chill, kiddo. You're feeling better, aren't you? Geez."
And then, as if to prove that she totally wasn't worrying too hard over him, she had the gall to tilt the snack-sized baggie of rice crackers over to him. "Want one?"
---
Nephi kept his eyes locked on the female, weary of any movements. Why had she stayed so long? Usually people, even his own family, left without so much as a word... why should she be any different.
"Uh..." He murmured, reaching back to rub along an aching side, pulling down his shirt in the process. "I... yeah."
Though, he wasn't sure of how to react to the offering of a snack. A thin brow lofted, his hand reaching into the bag to pull out a single rice cracker. Just enough to nibble on, just enough to not pay back-- after all, just accepting this much was... beyond him.
"Nn... thanks."
---
"Told you it'd be fine," she stated, simply as you please. But still, it was nice to see him up and awake, more or less. Even if he did seem completely confused as what to do-- oh, wait, a thank you. Maybe the kid wasn't all bad. He at least knew how to be polite -- once he was chased, knocked out, and dragged to help.
Hey, it was a start.
"Better to see a doctor than pass out in the street y'know-- you had me worried there for a bit, kid. That sort of thing's kinda not taken well in public." She munched on another rice cracker, leaving the bag hanging between them in case he felt like grabbing another one. What was a 100-yen snack compared to paying for a doctor's visit anyways.
"'Sides, don't have anything better to do-- why would I just leave you stranded out here after going through all that trouble?"
---
"I'unno. Why don't you tell me?"
Nephi grumbled, staring at the offered bag until his stomach lurched. Perhaps it would be better to eat at another time; after all, his skinny ass can wait until he's in a more comfortable place before snagging a snack or two.
"Why would you go through all of that trouble, huh? I'm just a kid who steals things for money or for the laughs. I don't know which one, yet. It's just losers who care enough to try to stop me... or take me to the doctor."
With a softly expelled sigh, he continued on what seemed to be a half-assed rant.
"I hate this place. I'd rather chill out at home and wait for ma to yell at me than to find something like /THAT/ in my face!"
Of course, he was referring to the mural that had so casually startled him awake earlier. Nephi furrowed his brows, moving an arm to slowly rub the length of his side, until his fingertips grazed along an old scar.
"Why would you..."
"Why would you do something like this for someone like me?"
---
Fusae just stared at the kid, hoping she looked more the cool-but-silent type than as take aback as she really was. Figured that as soon as he stopped sulking over his back, he'd just put her on the spot. It slipped a little, though, when she cracked a small smile at his anger towards poor, undeserving, Featherman Ranger R. Really, the series had it bad enough what with the poorly-painted mural slapped on the wall.
"Not like I really had any reason not to, kid."
She didn't dare break eye contact, though; she knew -- knew -- that as soon as she looked away, she'd just look like a fucking bleeding heart. Not the kind of impression you wanted to give to a kid who kept on stealing shit from you. Didn't need to give him the wrong idea or anything. ...Not that she was entirely sure what the wrong idea was at the moment. This kid was a mess, to say it lightly.
"I... just figured I should, ya know? Might be a loser, but s'there anything wrong with bein' a decent human being, once in a while?"
Hey, even she wasn't a complete ass, or at least she tried not to be most of the time.
---
Nephi's eyes eventually met hers in an unnerving round of what seemed to be like a staring contest. Though, he didn't know what it had turned out to be. Drawing in his lower lip to chew upon the surface, Nephi mumbled half-heartedly despite everything he was feeling. Especially the confusion.
"You shouldn't have bothered..."
Slowly, he began to lift himself into a seated position, hunched over to help himself breath after a sudden jolt of pain spread through his spine. Great, just great. That hurt like fuck, and here ma will think that I tried to kill myself...
Damnit, Hiroki-nii won't let me live it down!
He mentally cursed himself, the only outward changes being a slightly pained expression along with burrowing his hands deep within his tangled locks.
"You'll pro'lly take that back one day... " Nephi paused, peering over a shoulder before hopping down from the table. Not too smart, mind you, but he was ready to get the hell out of there. "It'll be stupid to risk your life, y'know..."
---
"Yeah, okay. You say that now you--"
Fu got half-out of her chair at the glimpse of pain on his face and tangled fingers in his hair; she was tempted to lay a hand on his shoulder at the painfully slow way in which he moved, but restrained herself at the last second. She couldn't help the slight frown, though, when he tried to just hop off the damn table like nothing as up. God, this kid just didn't want to stop and catch a break, did he? Hell, he didn't even dare look away for as long as he could, and for a moment she felt like she was facing off against some punk for a fight, instead of playing hero for once by getting him help. Just like a cornered, caged animal, morelike.
"Sure as hell hope I won't: then things're just damn sad. 'Sides, what's the worst that could happen?"
She DID stand up when he got off from the table, as if daring him to just off an leave like he must have been thinkig. Stupid, stupid kid. He was only going to dig himself in deeper, at this rate. Besides, even if he did leave, she wasn't going to just leave him alone after all the trouble she'd taken to drag him over. That'd just be a waste of time and effort.
"And for gods sakes, take it easy, dammit! ...Not like you'd need to go far for help if you hurt y'rself worse, but that isn't the normal way to do things when you want to keep away from doctors." The last bit of it came out as an annoyed hiss of a sentence, and Fusae couldn't help but sign in exasperation at the kid in front of her. This time her hand did plant itself on his shoulder, firm but gentle, in case he thought better of listening to her, the scrawny little brat.
---
The hand upon his shoulder was reassuring as much as it was unnerving. He wasn't sure of how to take it. Was it a gentle gesture, or a way to keep him at bay in case he was to expectantly take off...
In which he would, once the doctor called Fusae out for a little talk about... payment? Injury status? It didn't matter. Slowly he began to inch along the wall, sneaking out behind the woman, and DART out of the office. He bumped into individuals, nurses, trays of antibiotics and utensils before causing both a huge mess for the doctor, as well as a huge headache for Fu.
His limbs ached from the sudden exercise, and his back would only allow enough of a leeway to get to the train station, once he made a maze out of the alleys.
"Ugh, so retarded!"
---
Fusae hadn't been happy at all at the doctor's horrible timing, when it came to collecting his dues. She didn't really want to leave the kid behind, not when he was so determined to get the hell out of there and probably beat himself up some more.
"Yeah, yeah, be there in a sec-"
"Fusae-san, I would suggest-"
No good brushing the doctor off, though. He didn't even need to state her name like he did, she already knew it. She begrudgingly stepped out of the examination room, only to be ushered to the tiny office organized by a haggard nurse, who shoved forms in her face. And that was before the smaller crashes and angry cursing echoed through the cramped offices.
The doctor leapt for the front door, but Fusae beat him to it, vaulting over toddler who had decided she needed something underfoot right now, ignoring the mother's yelling as she burst out the door, and into a sea of crowded faces. With no sign of the kid.
"Dammit!" He was probably heading for the trains now, if he wasn't tempted to get back to picking more pockets. Hopefully the pockets of people who were too dim to realize what was happening. Or to chase him down. "Little bastard is going to- Eh? What is it? What?"
That was when the doctor snapped Fu out of her cursing with a rather persistent clearing of his throat and the scribbling of more figures onto what had once been a pretty minor fee. ...Oh god she was going to kill this kid, next time. Or... or something. Anything to snap him out of that attitude, although she couldn't exactly say it was to get him to take it easy, not after all the zeroes tacked onto the once-feasible price.
With an inaudible grumble, he stretched, resting a hand upon his blond hair. With a slight ruffle, he eyed the crowd, much like a lioness searching for a potential weakened prey. For some reason, there were more than enough businessmen to take out a random corporation, but this also meant that there must be money flowing out there, somewhere.
"Hmn, I wonder if I'll get lucky today~." Nephi muffled a snicker, wriggling himself to mingle with the moving "herd". It wouldn't take but a bump, a quick motion, and maybe. . . a run-in with one of the goody-two-shoes Investigation Team.
---
She'd had to get out of Inaba. Go clear her head or something, away from all the kidnapping rumors and murder scares, away from the housewives who couldn't find anything else to talk about. Not like the trains were any better: too many people, too close together, and they practically swept her out of the train car once the doors opened out to the station.
Thank god for Okina, what with it being a real city and all. Just the right amount of smog and noise to make it vacation from Inaba. For a moment she just stood there, a little dumbfounded, but then shook her head, as if to snap back to reality.
Right. Time to wake up. Get the old swagger back in her step, the glint in her eyes, whatever. Out here, no one had known what had happened and no one cared. They made eye contact with the point a few inches in the air from her head and kept walking. She needed this.
So she took up the same stare, focused on the point a few inches from the head of the person in front of her, and strode into the crowd.
---
He had already snagged close to six-thousand yen just in the couple of hours he had been roaming the crowd. It was great, lucky even, except for when he happened to look over his shoulder.
There, amidst the crowd of suits and other attire, was the mis-matched body of the hag that had /stolen/ the change from his very pocket! Quickly, he turned around, fighting against the crowd to get to her. With a sidestep, a bump, and a twirl, Nephi snagged what seemed to be something other than money-- a cellphone. Well, if it wasn't money, then perhaps he could pawn it somewhere?
Now that he had gathered his /revenge/, he continued to walk away from the female, hoping that she doesn't have another pair of damn tongs on her!
/Those things hurt like HELL./
---
Being bumped into hadn't been the part that set alarm bells ringing in her head, it had been the warning glimpse of unruly blond hair and tanned skin, the dark eyeliner (which, she was willing to bet, was probably originally stolen off of his mother's vanity, if anything), the glint of fervent determination in his eyes. He was trouble. That was all. And she was willing to be the better person. Hell, she was ready to keep on ignoring him and go on her way.
But then he'd just bumped into her and moved on, without so much as his little sneer, and the gears in her head started turning. She slowed, eyebrows furrowed as she forced other pedestrians to go around her. She'd seen something like those moves before, when she was younger and street-stupid and had to have Otoyo hold her up in the gang. Back then, she'd walked away with a missing wallet, and her whining had inspired Otoyo to whack her upside the head. Frantically she ran a hand to her back jeans pocket, breathed a sigh of relief when her wallet was still there -- then her hand came around to the (suspiciously empty) front pocket on that side, and everything clicked into place.
Fffffuck. God, oh god this stupid-ass little kid who thought he had it so tough...
"Just fuckin' determined to make me miserable," she hissed to herself as she scanned the crowd. It wasn't too hard to spot the bright blond, even if he'd been smart about it for once and tried to duck behind some much taller men while still strutting about like he didn't have a care in the world. It was perfect pick-pocket form. But hell, he might as well have had a cross-hair on him, been walking about with a floating neon sign above his head that said 'Come Get Me', run willy-nilly into an empty field buck-naked, for all the good it did him.
No, she didn't have a pair of tongs on her. But she figured she didn't need it, as she stormed her way into the crowd.
It'd been a very, very, rough almost-two-weeks, after all.
---
Nephi grinned as he flicked the cell's lid open with the tip of his thumb. If it had been locked beforehand, then this clearly solved the problem. First thing first; he started to switch around the display and features, then proceeded to check through any numbers and texts he could. This, of course, wasn't allowing him to pay attention to his surroundings.
With a sudden movement, his shoulder caught the edge of a street sign, scraping with a miserable force. Nephi hissed aloud, slipping a few curse words in his frustration before continuing on his way. It was then, THEN, than he caught the sight of the old hag checking the crowd--
And spotting HIM.
"SHIT!"
He mouthed the word, turning upon a heel, then making a mad dash towards the nearest alley. He was short, but this didn't mean that he didn't have the speed behind him.
Surely he would get away.
Surely, he wouldn't be caught. . .
. . . and get his ass kicked.
---
She swore, once she caught up with him she was going to give him a good talk on why you didn't just run away right off the bat. Once you ran, there was no doubt that you had done something wrong.
...And how not to run out of the relative safety of the crowd (where she wouldn't smack him around some) for the dingy abandoned alleyways. For the love of god, this kid was a winner, wasn't he? If she wasn't in such a bad mood and desperate to get her cellphone back, she almost would have laughed. Instead, her angry scowl twisted into a victorious grin at his mistakes; the fact that others in the crowd shuffled quickly out of her way when they saw it only meant she picked up speed. The kid was in for a world of hurt.
She took the sharp turn into the alley at a skid, long legs covering ground like the brat never could (although he really was making up for it, out of sheer panic), grabbing a fire escape or corner here and there to make sure she didn't miss any of the turns he'd made. Slippery little bastard.
...not so slippery that he couldn't run into a dead end, though. ...Well, unless he was into scaling eight-foot-tall, rusty wire fences. It wasn't that hard, though, when you were scared enough and there was your angry pursuer staring you down from the only other exit.
"You know," she spat out, in between deep breaths, her hand beckoning out in the universal give-me-that-or-you're-dead gesture, "If you really wanted my number that bad, you could have just fucking asked for it, prick."
That evil little smile said far more, though.
---
Yet, as much as he loved his speed-- his leg length wasn't any match for Fusae's own.
He glanced over a shoulder, taking a peek at the running figure behind him. This caused him to smirk; this, being the girl's posture as she ran. It was utmost hilarious, but he had no room to laugh! What would someone think of a midget running, anyway? ...
Quickly, he took another turn- a quick left into a dead end. But not just any dead end, but a massive brick wall with just enough boxes to climb upon to get over-- if he had the dexterity and strength to match his speed.
As he lifted a boot to stomp upon the last box in his way, his ankle buckled, causing Nephi's supports to diminish to the ground below. There he hung, hands latched upon the top of the wall as his legs dangled just in sights of Fusae. Her cell was held rather. . . carefully between his canines as he muttered a get-back-or-I'll-crunch-it warning.
Again and again he tried to heave himself over the barrier, but it remained fruitless.
"'Dis... fuh..-kin sahks...."
---
"Yeah, karma's a bitch."
...
...Oh god, this was like being mad at the "Hang In There!" kitten poster. Except that the kitten poster never tried to piss you off. The only thing that could possibly have made it better would be if he'd actually fallen. Although the fact he was still trying to drag himself up for the tenth time was totally worth it.
"...So, uh, want a boost?" She smirked, lacing her fingers together in a mock Tensies. At least she didn't laugh outright, not like it helped much.
Sure, he could try to gnaw on her phone, but that was about the worst he could do at the moment. Worst come to worst, she could just hang out here so he wouldn't want to come down, leave him hanging for a while until his arms went numb, no real harm done. Not like the dumbass didn't deserve a good punch or two.
---
It was way passed the tenth time he had tried to heave himself upon the barrier-- yet, there was no end in sight. He continued, over and over, deep breaths heaving over the surface of the now wet cell; dripping from condensed breath and saliva. Nephi even thought that he heard the screen crack beneath his teeth.
Once, just once, he managed to get the toe of his boot over the barrier, only to have the toe slip and slide back down. This caused enough force to be placed upon his arms, jarring them from their more secure place. With a loud thud, he landed upon his spine-- upon a corner of one of the fallen boxes. A yelp was emitted, allowing the phone to drop from his mouth and upon the ground next to his face.
He was clearly too tired and too sore to move. Not after what had seemed like HOURS of fruitless efforts.
"I DIDNT NEED... YOUR DAMN HELP, JEEZE." He breathlessly groaned, arching his back, "... ouch."
---
Fusae just stood back, hands on her hips and eyebrows furrowed in a look of confusion, and watched the younger boy's struggle. Because what else could she do? He sure as hell wasn't going to come down easy--
And then his arms gave out and he slipped. And-- and oh god you weren't supposed to land like that..! Forget the cellphone; besides, it could stand to... well, dry out. How was he supposed to pay to repair it if he had broken his back, anyways?
"Holy fu-- KID. What the hell are you thinking?" She crouched down by his head, ignoring his protests. Of course, too tired to hang a bit longer, but not tired enough to stop bitching. "Goddammit, are you really that dumb? S'not like I'll bite-" Well, not bite, but about ten minutes ago she'd been ready to at least smack him around.
Grimacing at the imagined pain, she let the roughness slide out of her voice a little (he really was just a kid, not much different from her girls back home, it was just a habit of hers). "And don' be in a rush to move, seriously. Just..." He arched and she cringed. "Yeah, don't do that."
---
Nephi immediately paused all of his movements, unsure of what he had just /heard/. Had the old woman just... sounded like one of those normal people, with concerns and the sort. Should she be? Really...?
His eyes narrowed, head tilting just enough to look at the female at a rather awkward angle. Still, he didn't bother to gripe or complain, but remained silent because of all the confusion. His parents didn't care. His brother didn't care. Hiroki nor anyone else that he encountered had even displayed an ounce of concern.
But this was different.
Slowly, he grinned; then a snicker formulated. He /laughed/! Each time he inhaled, another sharp ping of pain traveled along his spine. But he could spare the moment to the pain, just for the sake of amusement.
"Why do ya care, huh? This makes the second time I've stolen somethin' from you, and you're not beatin' the hell outta me?" Nephi groaned, trying to tilt upon his side. "You're weird. An ugly bitch even. But I'unno anyone else who would bother messin' around with me, anyway. Much less, /care/."
---
Of course he would be sitting there, in (probably tremendous) pain, laughing and making it hurt worse, and then think she was weird. Of course. Why hadn't she expected it when he was obviously too stupid to just jump down normally to avoid this entire mess? Despite the fact she hadn't even so much as touched him when he'd practically been helpless up on the wall for a few minutes? No matter what he did, it was always some roundabout, twisted, complex bit of over-thinking.
"'Cause I do." Against better judgement. Really, really, against her better judgement. "And smacking you around after that fall wouldn'... well, it wouldn't sit right with me. It'd kind of be overkill."
She shook her head in slow disbelief and exasperation at the boy sprawled on the pavement. "Kid, you aren't the type to just have a good day, are you?"
---
" ... What?" He couldn't believe what he had heard. Really, did. . . was it true? He furrowed his brows, making sure that he heard correctly. Or rather, underneath it all, he wanted to hear it.
From someone, anyone. . .
With a subtle thud, he landed back upon his spine, arching just slightly from the contact upon the ground. For once, Nephi smiled. A sincere smile- mostly because, hey, it was only her around, after all.
"A good day is everyday that you're alive, woman." He murmured, tilting his head towards the female, "A bad day is knowing that you'll not make it to the next. Heh."
---
This kid was crazy, the type of crazy she hadn't seen in a long time. The type of crazy you walked on the other side of the street to avoid.
But under all the crazy, if you could ever reach that far, maybe he wasn't nearly as tough as he acted. He wouldn't be smiling like that if that wasn't the case (unless he really had taken a blow to the head when he fell. Maybe she better call an ambulance once her phone wasn't so...gross).
Fusae's lips twitched in a wry grin of her own. "You really need to up your standards, then."
---
After a few moments, Nephi was finally able to sit upright without (as much) pain. Though he hated to say that he had so much pain in the first place, as admittance wasn't his strongest suit. Slowly he lifted his hand, rubbing along the hair line upon his fore.
"My standards? I'm livin', there's nothin' to it."
With a quick movement, a hitch of his breath, and a loud yelp, he jumped to his feet; his spine certainly not straight compared to his usual posture. After a moment of deep breathing, he kicked the phone to it's owner, rolling his eyes as he began to meander along the alley.
"Maybe. . . you need to lower yours, g'hh."
---
Fusae lived by the advice of Walk It Off, but that only really worked when you could at least stand up straight. And if he kept getting hit like that and walking away after, he wouldn't be living too long. She stood up, pocketing her phone (after picking it up with the very tips of her index finger and thumb. she'd worry about the drool later).
God, the kid could barely walk in a straight line. Giving an annoyed "Hrmph", Fusae followed, not caring if he would get mad at her.
"Maybe you should start by seein' a doctor, getting an ice pack, somethin'. You're not going to be running much more if you keep up like that," she grumbled, pulling even with him.
And dammit, she would barrage him like this until he listened to some sense.
---
Nephi complained, horribly, as he could sense the female follow him. It was bad enough that he was hurt, but what made it so much worse was the fact that she was badgering him.
Finally, he turned, an expression of distress overwhelming his face. With a slow tilt, he found himself leaning against her-- and thankfully, it wasn't as hard of a landing as he had taken earlier.
"I don't have an ice pack and doctors hate me," rather, it was he whom hated the doctors, "I'm fine, as long as you can stand still for a few minutes... old woman."
---
At first she thought he was going to just keel over, judging by the look he gave her; he would just hit the ground hard, complaining and all. But when he didn't hit concrete but instead leaned against her for balance, Fusae stiffened and nearly froze completely.
What the hell was wrong with this kid? Besides the probably traumatic shock to his spine, that was. And the attitude problem. And the bitching. And the way he switched from apparent utter hate to... well, she'd gone a step up from 'hag' or 'ugly bitch', kind of.
"I don't care if you hate doctors. If you don't suddenly get better in five minutes, you're getting some real help," she said, her voice still a bit softer than she would have liked and her hands shoved in her pockets as if she had to find something to do with them. The kid was lucky he wasn't healthy enough for her to just drag him off without worry like she used to do for her old girls. "You don' just get up and walk off from a fall like that. Look at you, will'ya?"
---
He hissed from the sudden jarring of the female as she moved her hands into her pockets, not liking the movements at all.
"T'ch! More than five minutes, I bet. If you can help me home, I bet ma' would give you /something/."
It was a bribe, but a long shot. He'd rather go home than to stay in a white washed room with the smell of sickly inhabitants searing his nostrils.
"Or, if there's anywhere better you can think of, then go ahead. Jus' don't hold onto me like I'm dyin' or anythin'."
---
She paused at how the kid winced at every movement she made, and sighed when he decided to grumble instead of finding some less awkward way of staying on his feet.
"...Kiddo, this is kinda outta the range of a mother's TLC, you know? I mean, you need actual help." ...Oh, like he was actually going to listen. "Look, if you want... there's a smaller doctor's office 'round here. Nothing fancy, just some family-run place that's been around for a while." Heck, she wouldn't even know about it if it hadn't been at her cousin's insistence.
"...You mean you can actually walk? 'Cause if not, you aren't getting far without me, kid."
Yeah, it was a little mean, a little teasing, but he could deal with that if he wanted her help. If she didn't, it'd be almost too weird for her; she didn't really do good-deeds-of-the-day.
---
Nephi hesitated from the offer, unsure of whether it should be taken as a mocking gesture, or genuine interest. After all, small tokens of appreciation wasn't at all part of his daily dose of terrorism.
"I don't need a doctor..." Murmuring, he tilted his head, showing the slightly smudged eyeliner from the corner of his eye. "I just need to lay down."
After muttering those last words, he began to stretch-- but a sharp pain kept him from accomplishing this. Instead, his breath hitched, the startled spasms creating a black wall in his eyes.
He had passed out upon the female; his full weight upon her body. The only thing that kept him upright was the clenched fist holding her clothing at her hip, hidden by his own body.
After all, why would he show such a weakness? -- Unless he's a stupid ass and PASSES OUT.
---
...Oh fucking come on.
She muttered a choice string of curse words to herself as she was jolted from the sudden pile-on of weight. The older woman shifted a shoulder under his arm, prying his fingers off of her shirt and jeans belt loop as she adjusted the dead weight. Thank god he was so small for such a brat. She'd dragged heavier people before.
"Yeah, right, no doctor. Sure kid. Stupid freaking retarded little--"
She kept up the steady stream of grumbling to herself all the way down the alleys, towards the family practice doctor's office, holed up in a tiny building's ground floor, right below an accountant's office and dentist. The other patients and the nurse at the front desk shot her a more than reasonably annoyed look, one that turned to almost-panic when she realized that the boy Fusae was dragging wasn't in the least bit conscious.
Things moved fast then, and Fusae was more than happy to have the nurse usher them off into room down the hall, with the promise that most of the paperwork would be filled out right after they looked up the name on the student ID in the kid's thin wallet. The doctor merely gave her the briefest of nods here and there, as she recounted how the hell the boy had hurt himself so bad - he was used to patients flubbing a bit in their explanations, anyways, and she was glad he didn't ask her to elaborate beyond the basic details of her story.
Hey, kid fell off a wall, why make it more difficult? And if she didn't have an explanation for some of the older-looking bruises and injuries, it wasn't her fault (although a bit disturbing, on her end. Someone who went around picking wallets didn't get hurt like that... well, unless maybe they had this kid's grace).
And if the kid woke up right about now? Well, not only would it be less awkward to be nervously sitting in the chair by the padded table while the doctor did what he could on the sleeping teenager (who was laid on his stomach, shirt hiked up), but he'd be victim to a badly painted and highly saturated colorful mural of Featherman Ranger R first thing when he opened his eyes. Maybe after that he'd be able to realize that the cooling pack on his back was probably doing a hell of a lot of good, considering.
---
What seemed to be mere seconds of rest happened to turn into a few hours. Although he was completely knocked out, Nephi didn't mind the rest at all. That was... until a flash of an abusive incident jarred the teen awake. His eyes, unfocused, stared at the mottled prism of colors until a more complete picture came into view.
"W-WHAT IN THE HE--" Garbled words spewed as he shifted; his spine cold and void of any pain until he nearly scrambled off of the bed. It wasn't until then that he gasped, clenching upon the surface of the sheets. Nephi's brows furrowed, sweat nearly dripping from his temples.
The pain caused him to lay back down, but his sight never left the female. He wondered what in the hell she was doing there in the first place-- wait, where exactly was 'here'?
"... Hey." The youth grumbled, waving a hand as if to gain her attention. "... I told you, I didn't want to go to any damn doctor!"
---
Oh, good. Finally awake. The kid was lucky she didn't have anything better to do. That, and there was a vending machine in the waiting room, so why bother leaving? Of course he was loud, but she had figured that would be the case a while ago.
Still, stupid of him to go spazzing out like that, and she shook her head disapprovingly as she nibbled on a rice cracker. Just... act like she hadn't forced herself to stop her leg from bouncing, or that the doctor hadn't tried to convince her to leave at least a couple times by now. That she hadn't just paid the (rather cheap, actually) fee for patching him up. Those few hours hadn't done much to calm her nerves, in the long run.
"Chill, kiddo. You're feeling better, aren't you? Geez."
And then, as if to prove that she totally wasn't worrying too hard over him, she had the gall to tilt the snack-sized baggie of rice crackers over to him. "Want one?"
---
Nephi kept his eyes locked on the female, weary of any movements. Why had she stayed so long? Usually people, even his own family, left without so much as a word... why should she be any different.
"Uh..." He murmured, reaching back to rub along an aching side, pulling down his shirt in the process. "I... yeah."
Though, he wasn't sure of how to react to the offering of a snack. A thin brow lofted, his hand reaching into the bag to pull out a single rice cracker. Just enough to nibble on, just enough to not pay back-- after all, just accepting this much was... beyond him.
"Nn... thanks."
---
"Told you it'd be fine," she stated, simply as you please. But still, it was nice to see him up and awake, more or less. Even if he did seem completely confused as what to do-- oh, wait, a thank you. Maybe the kid wasn't all bad. He at least knew how to be polite -- once he was chased, knocked out, and dragged to help.
Hey, it was a start.
"Better to see a doctor than pass out in the street y'know-- you had me worried there for a bit, kid. That sort of thing's kinda not taken well in public." She munched on another rice cracker, leaving the bag hanging between them in case he felt like grabbing another one. What was a 100-yen snack compared to paying for a doctor's visit anyways.
"'Sides, don't have anything better to do-- why would I just leave you stranded out here after going through all that trouble?"
---
"I'unno. Why don't you tell me?"
Nephi grumbled, staring at the offered bag until his stomach lurched. Perhaps it would be better to eat at another time; after all, his skinny ass can wait until he's in a more comfortable place before snagging a snack or two.
"Why would you go through all of that trouble, huh? I'm just a kid who steals things for money or for the laughs. I don't know which one, yet. It's just losers who care enough to try to stop me... or take me to the doctor."
With a softly expelled sigh, he continued on what seemed to be a half-assed rant.
"I hate this place. I'd rather chill out at home and wait for ma to yell at me than to find something like /THAT/ in my face!"
Of course, he was referring to the mural that had so casually startled him awake earlier. Nephi furrowed his brows, moving an arm to slowly rub the length of his side, until his fingertips grazed along an old scar.
"Why would you..."
"Why would you do something like this for someone like me?"
---
Fusae just stared at the kid, hoping she looked more the cool-but-silent type than as take aback as she really was. Figured that as soon as he stopped sulking over his back, he'd just put her on the spot. It slipped a little, though, when she cracked a small smile at his anger towards poor, undeserving, Featherman Ranger R. Really, the series had it bad enough what with the poorly-painted mural slapped on the wall.
"Not like I really had any reason not to, kid."
She didn't dare break eye contact, though; she knew -- knew -- that as soon as she looked away, she'd just look like a fucking bleeding heart. Not the kind of impression you wanted to give to a kid who kept on stealing shit from you. Didn't need to give him the wrong idea or anything. ...Not that she was entirely sure what the wrong idea was at the moment. This kid was a mess, to say it lightly.
"I... just figured I should, ya know? Might be a loser, but s'there anything wrong with bein' a decent human being, once in a while?"
Hey, even she wasn't a complete ass, or at least she tried not to be most of the time.
---
Nephi's eyes eventually met hers in an unnerving round of what seemed to be like a staring contest. Though, he didn't know what it had turned out to be. Drawing in his lower lip to chew upon the surface, Nephi mumbled half-heartedly despite everything he was feeling. Especially the confusion.
"You shouldn't have bothered..."
Slowly, he began to lift himself into a seated position, hunched over to help himself breath after a sudden jolt of pain spread through his spine. Great, just great. That hurt like fuck, and here ma will think that I tried to kill myself...
Damnit, Hiroki-nii won't let me live it down!
He mentally cursed himself, the only outward changes being a slightly pained expression along with burrowing his hands deep within his tangled locks.
"You'll pro'lly take that back one day... " Nephi paused, peering over a shoulder before hopping down from the table. Not too smart, mind you, but he was ready to get the hell out of there. "It'll be stupid to risk your life, y'know..."
---
"Yeah, okay. You say that now you--"
Fu got half-out of her chair at the glimpse of pain on his face and tangled fingers in his hair; she was tempted to lay a hand on his shoulder at the painfully slow way in which he moved, but restrained herself at the last second. She couldn't help the slight frown, though, when he tried to just hop off the damn table like nothing as up. God, this kid just didn't want to stop and catch a break, did he? Hell, he didn't even dare look away for as long as he could, and for a moment she felt like she was facing off against some punk for a fight, instead of playing hero for once by getting him help. Just like a cornered, caged animal, morelike.
"Sure as hell hope I won't: then things're just damn sad. 'Sides, what's the worst that could happen?"
She DID stand up when he got off from the table, as if daring him to just off an leave like he must have been thinkig. Stupid, stupid kid. He was only going to dig himself in deeper, at this rate. Besides, even if he did leave, she wasn't going to just leave him alone after all the trouble she'd taken to drag him over. That'd just be a waste of time and effort.
"And for gods sakes, take it easy, dammit! ...Not like you'd need to go far for help if you hurt y'rself worse, but that isn't the normal way to do things when you want to keep away from doctors." The last bit of it came out as an annoyed hiss of a sentence, and Fusae couldn't help but sign in exasperation at the kid in front of her. This time her hand did plant itself on his shoulder, firm but gentle, in case he thought better of listening to her, the scrawny little brat.
---
The hand upon his shoulder was reassuring as much as it was unnerving. He wasn't sure of how to take it. Was it a gentle gesture, or a way to keep him at bay in case he was to expectantly take off...
In which he would, once the doctor called Fusae out for a little talk about... payment? Injury status? It didn't matter. Slowly he began to inch along the wall, sneaking out behind the woman, and DART out of the office. He bumped into individuals, nurses, trays of antibiotics and utensils before causing both a huge mess for the doctor, as well as a huge headache for Fu.
His limbs ached from the sudden exercise, and his back would only allow enough of a leeway to get to the train station, once he made a maze out of the alleys.
"Ugh, so retarded!"
---
Fusae hadn't been happy at all at the doctor's horrible timing, when it came to collecting his dues. She didn't really want to leave the kid behind, not when he was so determined to get the hell out of there and probably beat himself up some more.
"Yeah, yeah, be there in a sec-"
"Fusae-san, I would suggest-"
No good brushing the doctor off, though. He didn't even need to state her name like he did, she already knew it. She begrudgingly stepped out of the examination room, only to be ushered to the tiny office organized by a haggard nurse, who shoved forms in her face. And that was before the smaller crashes and angry cursing echoed through the cramped offices.
The doctor leapt for the front door, but Fusae beat him to it, vaulting over toddler who had decided she needed something underfoot right now, ignoring the mother's yelling as she burst out the door, and into a sea of crowded faces. With no sign of the kid.
"Dammit!" He was probably heading for the trains now, if he wasn't tempted to get back to picking more pockets. Hopefully the pockets of people who were too dim to realize what was happening. Or to chase him down. "Little bastard is going to- Eh? What is it? What?"
That was when the doctor snapped Fu out of her cursing with a rather persistent clearing of his throat and the scribbling of more figures onto what had once been a pretty minor fee. ...Oh god she was going to kill this kid, next time. Or... or something. Anything to snap him out of that attitude, although she couldn't exactly say it was to get him to take it easy, not after all the zeroes tacked onto the once-feasible price.