Save Me (Ken “Draken” Ryuguji) 04 – Jaybird

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''“Sometimes I think about what I’ll become. Maybe it’s ’cause I never found someone. It’s when you come around, I don’t feel strange. Maybe there’s still time for a change.”'' Smash Into Pieces – Ride with U

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I couldn't stop the tears falling down my cheeks and it just made me feel worse. I fucking hate crying, but I do it so often, it's so stupid.

"Um… are you okay? What just happened?"

"Time travel," I muttered through my tears, wiping at my eyes roughly with the sleeve of my hoodie. "Stupid fucking time travel."

"He was telling the truth?" he questioned softly, more to himself than to me but I nodded anyway. "My sister's going to die…"

I sniffled and his words hit me hard. While I'm sitting here pitying myself for being taken from a life that wasn't much better than this current one, this young boy just got told he and his sister are gonna die in a fucking car accident. "I'm sorry… he shouldn't have told you that."

"No… I'm glad he did." He lifted his head and I was surprised by the determination lingering there. "I won't let my sister die."

I smiled despite myself, a soft laugh passing my lips. At least one of us will get something good out of this mess. "Good. I'm sure you'll do a great job." Shit, that sounded sarcastic, didn't it? I didn't mean it that way!

But he smiled anyway, nodding his head. "Thank you, miss…?"

"Jae. Just… call me Jae."

"Jae-san. My name is Tachibana Naoki."

"Sorry we couldn't meet under… better circumstances." It was then that I noticed I was still holding his hand. I yanked it back as if he had just shocked me. "S-Sorry!"

"It's okay."

"I, um… I should go. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He stood up, bowing to me before turning around and disappearing down the street.

I wonder if I should feel more concerned that he isn't freaking out about this. I guess everyone handles things differently. Some people remain stoic and some cry like babies. I scoffed, rubbing furiously at my eyes. A low rumble sounded overhead and I looked up, feeling cold drops of water tapping my face. I knew I should probably find cover since I had no clothes to change into, but I just didn't care. The rain was comforting to me and I needed all the comfort I could get right now. So I just closed my eyes, my head tilted back and my arms dangling at my sides as the rain fell, bringing with it a wave of much-needed calm and tranquility.

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I shook my head, slinging water everywhere as I did so. Not that it mattered because my hair was soaked, along with every other part of me. How could a light shower turn into a downpour so quickly? I didn't even have time to duck under cover before my clothes were soaked, feeling like they weighed a ton. My stomach growled loudly, easily overpowering the sound of rain slapping the pavement.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I heard you the first fucking time. And the second. And the third. And the fucking twentieth. I rounded the corner, spying a convenience store that was surprisingly still open. I had come across a few already, but each one was closed for the night, not set to open for several hours. This one seemed to be a twenty-four-hour one, thankfully. I'm not sure what I can buy with just 1,000 yen, but I'm sure there's some form of junk food I can snag.

The doors slid open, blasting me with cold air that made me shiver and fold my arms over my chest. As soon as I stepped through the door, though, an older woman came rushing at me, an angry look on her face.

"Get out!"

"E-Eh?" What had I done wrong?

"You're soaking wet!" she complained, wagging her finger at me. "You're not coming in here like that!" "But -" My stomach growled pitifully and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

"No buts! Are you going to clean up the mess, hm? No, now out!" She started toward me as if she were going to smack me so I backpedaled out of the store.

I'm really starting to wonder if I'm cursed. I finally find a store that's open and I'm not even allowed inside. I mean, I guess it's kinda my fault because I stayed out in the rain, but how was I supposed to know it would change so rapidly? I scowled, leaning back against the side of the building and sliding down until my butt hit the wet floor. I kept my legs tucked close to my body, trying to take advantage of the small overhang that kept some of the water off of me. Man, this sucks. I shoulda stayed with the dangerous delinquents.

"Excuse me?"

My body tensed up, gaze lifting up. There stood a boy carrying an umbrella in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. His hair was a rich burgundy, styled so that it formed a triangle, the tip hanging halfway down his nose. Bobby pins reflected the light of the store when he shifted his weight. Was he going to tell me I'm not allowed to wait here? Did the woman send him so she wouldn't get wet?

He smiled and it was a bit awkward but also kind as he kneeled down, setting the bag on the ground before sticking his hand inside. He pulled out a sandwich in a plastic container. "Here, you can have this."

I looked at it suspiciously, swallowing down the hunger that was trying to force me to take it without question.

"I heard your stomach growl," he chuckled softly. "I know she wouldn't let you in the store. She's kinda stingy about the cleanliness of the place."

"H-How much?"

"Don't worry about it. Consider it my good deed for the day. Here, take it." He wiggled it much like an owner would do with a cat treat and I slowly reached out, accepting the gift he offered. "I hope you like ham and cheese."

I nodded, my mouth watering as I looked at the sandwich as if it were the first piece of food I had ever witnessed. "Thank you!"

"Of course. Bye bye~"

I watched him walk away until he turned the corner and I couldn't see him anymore. I felt bad taking it without paying him for it, but I was so hungry that it quickly became forgotten in my mind as I fumbled with the plastic, the smell of ham filling my nostrils once the packaging was opened. It was gone in just a few bites and I sighed in content, leaning back against the wall with my eyes cast to the sky.

Between the stress and the calming sound of rain, my eyes grew heavy and I struggled to keep them open, knowing that sleeping in such an open place was dangerous. I would probably wake up to that woman standing over me with a damn broom, ready to flatten me as if I were just a mouse invading her home. The more I fought it, the harder it became. There's no harm in just resting my eyes for a bit, right?

"Just… resting my eyes…" I mumbled, eyes sliding closed.

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"Oi, wake up!" A hand grabbed my shoulder and I was roughly pulled from dreamland and in response, I threw my hand out to shove whoever was near me, but the person didn't budge. Did I just hit a wall or somethin'?

I opened my eyes, squinting at the bright light of the morning sun rising across the horizon. "Fuck, it's bright."

"You're alive."

My gaze fell to the side and I paled, seeing Draken kneeling beside me. He looked relieved, but his eyes were swirling with anger. "O-Oh… hi…"

A scoff came from my other side and I looked over to see the blonde guy that viewed me as an enemy. "You disappeared and we find you passed out beside a convenience store and all you can say is hi ?"

Draken frowned and I could feel his eyes scanning me. It made me nervous as hell. He reached his hand out to me and my shoulders tensed on instinct, making him pause for a moment before his hand found my shoulder. "Your clothes are wet. You got caught in the rain."

It wasn't a question but I nodded anymore, prompting a sigh from him as he stood up.

"Get up."

I'm not getting up because he told me to, I'm getting up because my back hurts and I need to stretch. At least that's what I told myself as I stood up, wincing as my back cracked. Still not the worst position I've fallen asleep in, but it was certainly toward the top of the list.

"Mitsuya, take her back to the garage."

The blonde quirked a brow. "Where are you going?"

"To get some spare clothes."

"There's no way she can wear your clothes," he laughed, his eyes darting between us as he compared our height.

"Then I'll get some of Mikey's. Just make sure she gets there." Draken didn't spare me a look, he just walked away, leaving the two of us alone. Well, this is totally not awkward.

Mitsuya sighed, waving his hand at me. "Come on, trouble."

I frowned at the name but said nothing as I followed him, keeping a good few feet between us. I didn't know this guy and he didn't trust me, so there was no way in hell that I was walking beside him like this is some shoujou manga. We walked in silence for a while and I cringed at the way my wet clothes rubbed against my skin. It was an uncomfortable sensation and I hated it, but I made my bed so now I had to lie in it.

"You left because of me, huh?" His voice was so soft that I almost didn't hear him. It took me a minute to process what he said and a minute more to realize he had stopped walking, half-turned to look at me. His face was blank, completely unreadable.

"N-No…" Yes. "I just… didn't want to be a burden…"

He sighed, running his hand through his short hair, continuing down the street. "Unfortunately for you, burdens are what Mikey and Draken like the most."

The hell is that supposed to mean?

"I still don't trust you, but Draken has taken a liking to you for whatever reason. Do you know what that means?"

That I hit the jackpot for bad luck?

He glanced at me over his shoulder. "It means you're stuck with us, so no more running away." His voice lowered as he mumbled to himself, " He made me run around half the night looking for you ."

But… why? It made no sense to me. He met me once and then just decided to become my caretaker or something? I'm pretty sure he's younger than me, so how the fuck does that work? I'm not sure how I feel about being someone's charity case, but I don't really have many options.

We returned to the garage and he turned around, holding his arms out. "Welcome home. Just don't steal anything."

There's literally just a bunch of tools and vehicle parts lying around, why would I steal those? But I nodded anyway, not wanting to get more on his bad side.

"Oh, and don't touch the bike. Draken hates it when people touch the bike." He waved toward a half-built bike in the corner of the room and I nodded again, watching as he pulled himself up onto a large wooden crate before pulling out his phone.

Man, I still can't get over the whole flip phone thing. I hesitated by the door for a few minutes before slowly stepping farther into the garage, glancing at him to see if he was watching me but his eyes were glued to his phone. What even are the limitations of a flip phone? Can you play games on it? Browse the web? Watch videos? I can't even remember, but I'm sure the capabilities are pretty limited. I could feel my phone against my thigh like a brick because of my wet shorts. What I wouldn't give to just be able to watch a video online to calm my nerves or read some fanfiction to take me away.

I reached the black crate that I had sat on the last time I was here, carefully lowering myself onto it, my clothes making a squelching sound that made me cringe on the inside. I hated that sound. I tried to make myself comfortable, leaning my back against the tool cart behind me and playing with the ring on my finger just for something to do. The garage was dead quiet, making my ears ring. I didn't know how long I could sit here in this silence without something to distract me. I glanced at Mitsuya again.

He was lying across the top of the box now, his phone held above him as he pressed the keys. I didn't want to bother him, but it was just so awkward, so quiet. What would we even talk about? 'Hey, can you tell me the qualities of an enemy so I can make sure I don't make you more suspicious than you already are? Thanks.' That should go over well.

Two pairs of footsteps crunched on the gravel outside and I sat up straighter, my eyes going to Mitsuya again, but he didn't seem worried at all. The handle clicked before the door swung open, its hinges protesting loudly.

"Honey, we're home~" A guy entered, nearly skipping across the garage. He seemed to be about the same height as me, with shoulder-length blonde hair. His bangs were slicked back and secured in a small ponytail. His eyes were playful as they landed on me and I quickly looked at my lap. What is with this guy's aura? He's acting like a cheerful kid, but I can feel how dangerous he is and it fucking terrifies me. He kneeled down in front of me with a wolfish grin. "You must be our little Jaybird~ Draken told me all about you."

"Y-Your… what?"

"I did not," Draken scowled from the doorway, a duffel bag in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. "You're gonna scare her, Mikey."

Mikey pouted, tilting his head to the side. "Do I scare you?"

Yes. Very much so.

When I didn't answer, he frowned, standing up. "Well, don't worry. You're part of Toman now, which means we'll always look out for you!"

That's what I was afraid of. I don't want to be a part of whatever illegal bullshit they've got going on here. But something tells me I don't have a choice. I held back a groan, hanging my head as he headed toward the front of the room, humming to himself.

"Did you bring food?" Mitsuya questioned, finally sitting up to look at Draken expectantly.

In response, he held up the plastic bag, handing it over when Mitsuya jumped down. I glanced at the bag as he passed, feeling my stomach clenching painfully at the thought of food.

"Here," Draken held the duffel bag out to me, his voice softer than it had been a moment ago. "There's a bathroom over there," he pointed to the left-hand side of the room where an old door sat. "Go get changed before you catch a cold. You and Mikey are roughly the same size so they should fit."

I carefully took the bag from him, making sure my hand was nowhere near his because I was not in the mood to share a shoujou moment with this guy. Or anyone, really. "T-Thanks…" I bowed my head and rushed past him, pushing the door open and stepping inside. The bathroom was pretty small, but there was enough room to move around and the door locked, so that was a plus. I hung the bag on the hook that sat on the back of the door before slowly pulling my clothes off, shivering at the cool air that hit my damp skin. I love the cold, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to it. Though I do like to pretend that I am sometimes.

Inside the bag was a pair of tan shorts and a t-shirt with some band logo that I've never heard of. A green, plaid overshirt sat at the bottom, along with a pair of fresh socks. It wasn't a perfect fit since I'm bit… wider than he is, but I was just happy to be in some dry clothes and they were comfortable too, smelling like citrus fruit. Honestly, I'm scared to go back out there but I think staying in here forever until they eventually come to get me would be more embarrassing. I folded my clothes the best I could, saying farewell to my trusty hoodie as if I would never see it again, but setting them by the sink.

Should I leave the bag in the bathroom or bring it with me? It took me longer to make that call than I care to admit, but I finally stepped out of the bathroom, clutching the bag in my hand as I took a deep breath. Tall metal shelves sat between the bathroom door and the rest of the garage, packed with various boxes, plastic tubs, and vehicle parts. I could see the three sitting around a small makeshift table - a plastic box with a piece of plywood on top of it. The food sat on the wood, hamburgers from the looks of it. They were chatting about some fight they won, laughing like it was the coolest thing in the world.

Don't worry, I got this. I just have to survive until I find a way back home. That's easy enough… maybe. Will Hanagaki come back? Can he even get back? He doesn't even know me, and I doubt his guilt would be strong enough to convince him to come back to the past just to save me. I hope he's living his best life, at least.

Shaking my head to rid myself of those thoughts, I stepped around the shelves and slowly started toward the group. I felt like an intruder, like I shouldn't be here right now. This wasn't my world or my friends, they're just strangers I'm imposing on because there's no better option.

Mikey was the first to notice me, grinning as he waved me over. "They fit?"

"Y-Yeah… thanks."

"Sure. Come have a seat, the food's getting cold." He patted the plastic crate sitting between him and Draken and I reluctantly sat down, feeling uncomfortable by how close these two were to me. Draken's legs are so long that he had to extend them out instead of beneath the wood and my leg kept brushing against his whenever he would move.

He didn't seem to notice or care, though, setting a couple of burgers in front of me along with a glass bottle of soda. "Eat up," he ordered softly.

One thing I didn't like was eating in front of people, especially not guys. It felt very uncomfortable to me and I felt like I was being watched and judged every time, but I couldn't very well be like, 'Hey guys thanks for feeding me and clothing me but I'm gonna go eat in the bathroom so I'm not near you.' Talk about being ungrateful. To counteract my discomfort, I took small bites, making sure my mouth was closed the entire time. They continued their conversation as if I wasn't even here, which I was honestly grateful for.

"So, Jaybird. Tell us about yourself."

Fuck, I spoke too soon. My eyes widened and I froze like a deer in headlights when three sets of eyes landed on me. I quickly swallowed the bite of food. "L-Like what?"

"Are you from Japan?"

I shook my head no, staring at the burger in my hand.

"The states?"

I nodded.

"Why'd you come to Japan?"

A frown tugged at my lips. How could I possibly tell these three guys that I moved to Japan hoping my life would become an anime and I'd stop being a shut-in with zero life whatsoever? God, just saying it in my head makes me cringe.

"You don't have to answer," Draken commented. "Just skip it."

Mikey pouted at him but agreed. "You don't have a place to stay, right? What happened?"

Oh, you know, just fucking time travel.

"Mikey," Draken scowled at his friend.

"Fine~ I'll ask an easy one, then. Favorite color?"

That is suspiciously easy. "Blue…"

"I like red. Favorite food?"

"Tacos…"

"Not a bad choice," he grinned, wagging his finger. "But Dorayaki is way better. Have you had one before?"

"No…" My brow furrowed. I had never even heard of the thing before. "What… what is it?" His mouth fell open. "You don't know?"

"No."

Mikey jumped up, grabbing my wrist so quickly that it took me a few seconds to realize he had even done it. "We're going to get some right now!"

I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but without shoes on it was impossible to gain any leverage. His hand was like iron around my wrist, not tight enough to hurt, but no matter how I pulled or pushed, his grip didn't budge.

"Mikey!" Draken sounded exasperated as he followed, easily catching up with his long strides, and pulling the blonde's hand from my arm. I hadn't realized I was shaking until I felt Draken's steady hand on my arm.

"What? I just wanted her to try some Dorayaki."

"You can't just drag people around," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's been through a lot, you gotta be easier."

Mikey's gaze fell on me and I lowered my head, feeling my heart hammer against my chest. Would he be angry? Call me weak and tell me to get lost? To my surprise, he apologized.

My eyes snapped to his and he was frowning, but his eyes were gentle. "I-It's… okay."

"We have to get some later, though, okay?"

I nodded to appease him and he nodded back before stepping past me toward the table where Mitsuya wasn't even paying us any mind. I released the breath I had been holding.

"Sorry about him," Draken released my arm, rubbing the back of his neck. "He tends to act before thinking."

Great, sounds like a real fun time.

"You okay?"

I glanced up at him and froze, my breath catching in my throat. He was looking at me with such a soft expression, his eyes warm as he searched my face to figure out what I was feeling. Why is this man so kind to me? So warm? I felt my face heat up and I quickly looked away, hoping he didn't notice. "F-Fine."

He sighed, resting his hand on my head. "I hope you'll open up to us eventually. Until then, try not to worry so much. You're safe here."

And as he walked back to the table, I believed him.