It was several hours before her tears finally ran out, leaving Summer in a state of shivering, emotional pain like she hadn't experienced before. Her back ached from remaining hunched over on the carpet of her living room for so long, but the physical pain was much less than her mental anguish at the figurative collapse of her ideal relationship with Law.
Cold. Numb. Confused. Angry. Betrayed. Hurt. These were all she could register at the moment.
The night had worn steadily on despite her pain, and the moon cast pale light through the slits in her window's blinds. The rays of moonlight eventually inched their way until they slanted across her body, and it was then that Summer opened her eyes tiredly, staring up at the ceiling like she'd seen it for the first time in her life.
Her immediate though was, I can't do this! It's too much! I have to end things! The blonde's fear trumped most of the hope that Law's entire visit had simply been a nightmare and that she'd wake up in her bed any moment now without a single memory of any of this happening…
The feeling of long-dried tears on her cheeks prompted the blonde to scrub hastily at the track marks. No doubt her eyes and face were red from being so upset, as they always did after crying for long periods. Summer hated crying, hated the way she looked while crying.
The quiet of her apartment was almost a slap in the face, taunting her with the peace that could be rather than the chaotic mess her life now was. She swore she could feel the walls laughing, mocking her weakness and pain, though that was simply her imagination.
How was she supposed to go from here? The revelation that her life was in danger was startling, but the reality of exactly who Law was…A shiver ran down her spine, and she winced. He'd only vaguely described the things he'd done, but it was more than Summer cared to imagine. Though regardless of her want to think about it, she was forced to, seeing as she was currently thrown straight into the middle of all this mess and required a decision from her…
How was one supposed to go about a decision like this? Despite it all, she still cared for Law, but he now scared her beyond what Summer had previously thought possible. Out of all of the scenarios of what Law's mysterious life was like that had ran through her head at any given point in time, this was definitely not one of them. This was much worse than she'd ever expected from him.
He'd always been so kind and patient…For years, she'd watched him work, admiring his ability to handle angry and noisy people with a calm exterior and an easy smile her way. Gentle and teasing, that was Law. Could he really have done the things he'd admitted to? Had he really…Summer swallowed thickly, not liking the question that came…had he actually taken people's lives? Was he really a killer? His silence had spoken volumes, but she had half a mind to hope that meant there was a possibility that it left room for the much better option.
No, that was naive of her. Summer shook her head sadly, feeling the sting and itch of tears behind her eyes. He would have told her the truth had it been different. Perhaps he simply hadn't been able to fully come clean, to actually admit aloud the things he'd done…Which only served to upset her more.
What else was he hiding from her? Just how dark were his sins? How plentiful? Not once in the years she'd known him did he ever seem that type of person…But that didn't mean he wasn't capable of doing them again…How dangerous was he to simply be around? Now that his secret was up in the air, was she in danger not only from the ones hiding in the dark, but him as well?
Her forehead throbbed from dehydration and constant crying, and finally it got to the point where she could take it no longer. Slowly peeling herself from the carpet where she'd collapsed hours ago, she stood and shakily made her way to her medicine cabinet in the kitchen. Not bothering to turn on the lights, her hand opened the cupboard and reached up for the bottle of aspirin she knew was on the top shelf. Her fingers searched blindly through the bottles in the darkness before closing around the familiar capped lid of the medication she was looking for.
Shuttering breaths seemed to be the only breathing she was capable of at the moment. Sucking in precious oxygen through those inconsistent breaths, she somehow managed to fill a glass of water and down four of the aspirin pills all at once, hoping a double dose would do something to what she believed to be the worst headache of her life.
Leaving the pill bottle open on the counter, she sank to the tile floor, her back against the cabinets. The glass in her hand shook with the weight from her conscience and the glass itself. The crying and stress had left her weak, the muscles in her hands quivering from even the smallest of tasks.
Finally setting the cup on the ground beside her, she covered her face with both hands again, sighing deeply to try replenishing her oxygen supply. It felt like no matter how hard she breathed, she wasn't getting enough air. Summer could feel a black out approaching at any given moment.
'People owed me favors, they respected me, because they were afraid of me and who I worked for.'
Summer was afraid of him too. Because now that his past had been exposed, put out in the open, some of his mannerisms and actions from the past began to make sense. Law didn't go out and do a whole lot, not even with his friends. He'd admitted once that he didn't really like leaving his house all that much, before they'd started dating. He'd stay at home and avoid doing things socially. Perhaps this was a partial reason why.
'They threatened to kill you if I refuse.'
Was this even real? Summer kept telling herself that these things didn't happen in real life. They happened in action movies, books, tv shows, but they didn't happen in the real world…they never happened in reality…right? It was too outlandish…too unexpected…so this couldn't actually be the truth…
And yet for as sick and twisted as a joke it could be if it actually were one, Law wasn't the joking type. Teasing, yes. But not joking. There was a difference, and Summer knew he would never do something as controversial as this, simply to laugh at her expense.
Which left only one conclusion, and that was her life was currently hanging in the balance. Left to the fate of Law's decision, which she already knew. He'd basically told her what he'd decided.
'I can't go back to that, Summer. I can't do it.'
Which meant by tomorrow, she was fair game, according to what he'd said before. Apparently they'd wait until Law gave an answer before she'd really be in danger, but that wasn't comforting in the least. Who's to say they wouldn't go against their word anyway? She didn't know these people, and she didn't know the game. How was she supposed to go from here? Where was she supposed to go?
Running away…was an option but it didn't seem like it'd get her very far. Gangs, or at least what she knew of them, were well connected and had ties to a lot of people in and out of the city. Surely it wouldn't matter where she ran. They were powerful. They'd find her.
Ever since she'd started really thinking about what he'd said, every little bump and noise from outside her apartment had her on edge and tense. Each sound conjured up images of men in black suits coming to take her out. It was a stereotype, Summer was sure, but it was the only depiction of how she could predict her inevitable death.
Death. She was going to die.
Panic rose above all else. The confusion, the hurt, and even the desire to understand what Law had told her, it was all pushed down as the panic and terror at her life being cut short began to take over. Her breaths quickened, until she was fully hyperventilating. Her sobs echoed in the empty kitchen, and it felt like she was going to black out again. The aspirin didn't appear to have taken effect yet.
In the midst of her internal crisis, a small, dark figure walked into the kitchen, no doubt curious as to what all the noise was. Summer couldn't see distinct features on him, but she knew it to be Max. He hesitantly wandered his way closer to her, sniffing the air as if sensing her distress. Cautiously, he stepped closer, and closer again. "Meow!" He said, finally rubbing against her leg affectionately. "Meow!"
Summer stared at the cat for a moment, having something not so awful to focus on. Somehow, Max's low purring and gentle rubs against her skin began to lessen the hyperventilation, and she reached over to pick the feline up. He somewhat resisted, unsure of being held like this, but as she cuddled him to her chest he seemed to calm down.
Summer closed her eyes, squishing him gently into her chest for comfort. He was so warm and soft, and the low vibration of his purr against her chest was soothing. Max allowed himself to be tightly cuddled by the distraught human, no doubt only concerned about getting attention.
"Max…" She whispered sadly, burying her face into his black fur. "I love you, little one…"
He did not respond, except to continue purring, and she took comfort in the fact that even if her faith in her closest friends had shaken, Max's affection would never wane. She'd always have her small friend to love her unconditionally, no matter how often she needed a cry, or how messed up her life may be.
Hitomi almost always woke up before her alarm. For some reason, she was never able to actually sleep in for any reason, even if there was nothing to be done that day. Her body would naturally wake up early, anticipating the ringing of her alarm before it even happened. So, it came as no surprise when she rolled over and opened her eyes to see it was about 5:15 in the morning.
One hand smoothed over her mess of silver hair, trying to get more comfortable while she waited for the alarm to sound. Another fifteen minutes of rest, if not sleep, would do her good.
However, that was pushed to the side as she heard a few knocks on the front door of her apartment. They were muffled and faint, but in the silence of the house, and the loudness of whoever was knocking, they were easily distinguishable. Tensing, she sat up. It was very unusual to have someone knocking at your door so early, and normally never a good thing. Another few set of knocks came again, and Hitomi lifted the covers up to swing her legs over the side of the bed. The silver-haired woman hastily got dressed in jeans and a shirt before opening her bedroom door.
The hallway and living room was still dark, meaning Soma hadn't woken up early and gone looking for an early breakfast. He was almost never up before her, but there were times when he'd get hungry and wake up looking for food. She passed the kitchen by and quietly made her way to the front door, leaning close to peer through the peephole.
She frowned, quickly unlocking the door to reveal a red-faced and red-eyed blonde standing there. She looked up at Hitomi with uncertain eyes, as if she didn't really know what she was doing there either.
"Summer, what's wrong? What happened?" Without waiting to hear an explanation, Hitomi ushered the visibly distraught woman into her apartment before closing and locking the door behind them. Summer sniffled and made her way to the couch, while her friend went to turn on a side table lamp to give them some light.
"I needed to come talk to you about something." She admitted, trying to get her voice under control before continuing. "I know it's early, and I'm sorry, but I really needed to talk to someone about it."
"Don't even worry about that. Now, what's on your mind? It can't be good from the looks of things."
Summer nodded silently in agreement, accepting the tissue that Hitomi had fetched on her way to sit beside her on the couch. Dabbing at her eyes which filled with small amounts of moisture, she tried finding the best place to start.
A part of her didn't want to really tell all of what Law had told her. For as scared as she was, Summer didn't like the idea of gossiping about his past. He was such a private person, and a part of her still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. A part of her tried holding onto the good in him, even if all of the evidence pointed otherwise.
And so she tried keeping it as vague as possible.
"It's hard for me to really explain, but…" Summer paused, looking for the right words. She kept her voice down since Soma was still sleeping in his room. She didn't want him getting involved either. "What are you supposed to do if you realize someone isn't who you think they are?"
Hitomi looked away, mulling over what she'd asked. Soon after, her eyes returned to Summer's searching them for a concrete answer. "This is about Law, isn't it?"
Despite not wanting to give away too much information, the subtle shift of her violet eyes gave Hitomi all the information she needed to confirm it. Hitomi sighed, mentally preparing what sort of case she'd need to build against him should she find that he hurt her in any way. From the way she looked, the red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes, he'd certainly done something to upset her.
Still, she knew Summer could be rather sensitive, and didn't want to jump to any drastic conclusions. This may just all be a misunderstanding, after all. She couldn't exactly prosecute him for something as trivial as that.
"I thought I knew…really knew who he was. But…" Summer paused, slouching on the couch and looking away from her. "Now I don't know who he is anymore."
"What happened to make you question this? You two seemed very happy and stable not even a week ago." She stated, having caught sneak peeks of the two of them several times before from her living room window. "Did he do something to hurt you? Physically? Verbally? Anything at all?"
"No! No, nothing like that." She rushed to clarify, not wanting to give the wrong impression. Summer mentally shook her head, wondering how she could be so concerned about portraying Law in the wrong way, all the while terrified of what she'd come to learn he had previously been. He'd done plenty to ruin his image of himself, how could it matter now? Frustrated, and unsure of what was right or wrong of her to say, Summer sighed deeply.
Hitomi tried not to use her observational skills that being a lawyer had given her when at home. Especially in situations like this when friends found themselves in times of stress. People tended to think she was acting more like a counselor than a friend when her natural instincts to read what people were thinking based on body language began to take over. But given the fact that Summer wasn't acting like herself, Hitomi found it too unusual to stop the familiar routine. "Then what is going on? You're not telling me something."
The blonde woman sighed, rubbing at her head idly. "Law came over last night and…told me things. He told me about his past and, to put it simply, it wasn't what I thought it would be."
"Summer, you're not really giving me a straight answer here." Hitomi prodded gently but insistently. "I can't help unless I know exactly what's going on."
"I know…I know…" The blonde admitted, shaking her head and fidgeting with the used tissue in her hands. Her eyes wouldn't leave her hands. "But…I feel conflicted. It's not my place to say anything about it…I just don't know what to do."
"If it's giving you this much grief-"
"I just want to know what your opinion is objectively." Summer eventually concluded, daring a glance at her best friend. Hitomi looked back with concern, wanting to know how best to help the younger blonde, but not really understanding what the situation was. "I'll tell you as much as I can, as much as I feel ok saying, and just tell me what you think objectively."
Hitomi took an even breath before nodding, silently gesturing for her to continue as she crossed her arms and leaned back to relax against the couch cushion. Summer found it within herself to smile slightly, appreciative of Hitomi's patience and faith in her.
"I knew Law didn't have the best past for a long time. He's lost a lot of people when he was younger, and he's the way he is now because of that. But I didn't know what sort of bad decisions came to be because of what he'd experienced." Summer started, glancing towards the lawyer to make sure she was following.
"He…did what he thought was best back then, but it was stupid of him. To anyone else, anyone not in the same mindset as he was, it would be obvious that what he was doing was bad…"
"Some of those bad decisions are catching up with him." She explained quietly, fear beginning to show through. "And they may affect me."
"Just how much are they 'affecting' you, Summer? How serious is this?"
"…" She didn't know how to respond to that question. Honestly, how could she? It would be a bit much to simply say, 'oh, just serious enough to mean my life is in danger and I may die.' It wouldn't be funny in the least.
Hitomi continued to stare at her, realizing that this was not just a normal spat or bump in a relationship that words could fix. This was something much more than that. And she didn't like it. "How serious, Summer?" She asked in a low voice, prompting her to answer.
"I don't know if I can stay with him, Hitomi. I want to believe that the past stays in the past, but I'm afraid that…I might…be in danger." She finished haltingly, and Hitomi tensed.
"You're in danger?"
"…"
"If you are in as much danger as you make it sound, then I would advise you to get away. No relationship is worth your life." She explained sternly.
"I want to hear what you think of the rest." Summer stubbornly said, shaking her head slowly. "Disregarding the danger part, I want to hear what you would say about someone like that. Someone with past mistakes."
"Summer-" Hitomi tried focusing on the much bigger picture here, but the blonde wouldn't budge.
"Please, just…I know what is going on. I know how serious this is and I'm taking it with the seriousness it deserves. I just want to know what you think of a person like that. What would you believe?"
"About what exactly?" She wasn't quite sure what question was supposed to be answered.
"Is a person like that really the same person? Do people ever really change? Can they atone for bad decisions?"
The darker-skinned woman sighed deeply, running her hands through her hair to try bringing her mind back to an objective standpoint. After hearing that Summer may be in danger, it had immediately jumped to protective mode. Still, she had promised to answer as objectively as possible. "I wouldn't know for certain."
"Just…venture what your first instinct would be."
The lawyer took a long time to come up with an answer, knowing that her friend may take it as the hard truth and not simply as conjecture based on a situation she didn't entirely understand. But Hitomi was nothing if not honest, even when she didn't want to be.
"Everyone has skeletons in their closet, some more than others. I have yet to meet a person who hasn't made mistakes before." Hitomi picked her words carefully, knowing Summer was hanging on every single one of them. "And yes, people can change. Even in my line of work, I've seen it happen. Some of the worst criminals have turned their lives around for the better, but it's a very low number."
She stopped, turning to the blonde to gain her attention again. "But if you're life is in danger, it doesn't matter what kind of person they are or what their intentions may be. You're life is what should be your utmost priority, no matter the circumstance. Do you understand me?"
"I know what you're-"
"Do you understand what I'm saying, Summer?" The silver-haired woman pressed again, not taking anything except a yes for an answer. The blonde eventually nodded silently, looking away ashamedly.
"Good." Hitomi felt a little relief, knowing she at least got her point across. "Come here."
Summer accepted the tight hug that her friend crushed her in with relief. The blonde wrapped her arms around the lawyer and tried conveying her thanks without the need for words. Hitomi had always been there when she needed it, no matter the situation. There was no other person—well, perhaps besides Law, but that wasn't as certain now—Summer trusted enough to share her worries and fears with.
"Once you calm down we can call the police and file a-"
"No, wait." The blonde interrupted, breaking her friend's hold and scooting away to look at her again. "Don't do anything yet."
"I'm not taking this threat against your life lightly. I've seen the most innocuous of situations turn deadly, and I refuse to take chances like this." Hitomi defended, standing and walking over to her purse. Summer stood as well, trying to stop her in her tracks.
"Please, I need time to process all of this. Give me until tomorrow, ok?" She pleaded, not missing the confusion in Hitomi's face.
The silver-haired woman sighed, rubbing at her face wearily. The early hours of the morning were beginning to wear on her. "Summer…I care too much about your safety to ignore what's going on. The sooner we file a report about it, the better the chance the authorities can do something about it."
"I know, but…I need to think about everything first. Law still means a lot to me and-"
"I can't believe after knowing you are in danger you still are thinking about staying with him." Hitomi shook her head incredulously. "This isn't something you can make go away by yourself."
Summer winced. "I know that!" She replied heatedly, suddenly realizing afterwards that Soma was still asleep and may wake up to their discussion. She dropped her voice again to prevent that from happening. "But it's my decision as far as what I'm going to do, and I'm not going to jump to conclusions or make assumptions. I'm…I'm honestly terrified of what's happening, but I have to come to my own decision."
Hitomi said nothing, just looked away in frustration, chewing her bottom lip. She didn't like it one bit, but the blonde was partially right. She couldn't be making decisions for her. This was her life, and that gave her all the power to make whatever stupid mistakes she wanted to. Still, the lawyer had grown to care for Summer too much to just let her willingly give her life away either.
After several moments of silence, Hitomi turned to look at Summer again, looking tense. "One day is all I will give you." She explained, heart sinking at the look of relief that filled the blonde's face.
"Thank you…"
The sound of a door opening further down the hallway alerted the two women that Soma had woken up and, a moment later, he stepped out into the living room with a sleepy expression. Luckily, they were both able to school their faces into lighter expressions, rather than the sullen ones from their discussion before.
"What's going on?" He mumbled, rubbing at his eye. Upon seeing Summer, he stopped and looked a little more aware of what was going on. "Summer? Why are you here so early?"
"Oh…" The blonde struggled to figure out a good explanation for why she was in their living room, but the next moment the young boy's stomach growled in the silence of the room. He covered his chest embarrassingly, and both women chuckled at the sound.
"Why don't I cook us up some breakfast?" Hitomi offered, and Soma seemed to forget his earlier question. He ran back down the hall to his room to supposedly get dressed, and the lawyer turned back to her friend. "Would you like to stay and eat with us?"
"Ah, I'd love to but…I need some time to myself."
"I understand, but know I'll be waiting with my finger over the call button for the police." Hitomi promised seriously, standing to show her to the door. They walked to the door and Hitomi unlocked it, letting her outside. The sun hadn't yet risen over the horizon.
"Thank you, again. I really appreciate you helping me out…" Summer nodded her thanks, and Hitomi gave a tiny smile.
"Stay safe, Summer." She bid, closing the door gently when the blonde turned back to her own apartment. The sentiment was awfully similar to the one Law had constantly used when they parted ways.
Be safe.
It made her wonder. Had he known something like this was going to happen? Had he anticipated this turn of events? Why hadn't he ever said anything, or gotten help sooner? She opened her apartment door and slipped inside, mind too preoccupied to really pay much attention to anything.
She found herself instinctively moving to her couch, laying down over the cushions before curling up into herself. She still felt numb, but there was a newfound clarity over her mind. Her talk with Hitomi had began to put things into some sort of perspective.
While Law now scared her to a degree, Summer couldn't help but still feel a strong connection to him. The possibility that he was not who she originally thought he was hadn't changed that. Perhaps she cared for him much more than even she first thought. Perhaps…even…
No. Shaking her head, Summer tried disregarding that thought for the time being. If she did indeed…love…Law, now would not be the best time to realize it. It might make her decision biased and skewed. She wanted to go into this as clearly as she could.
Her mind cluttered with endless thoughts and questions she didn't have the answers to yet, Summer stared up at the ceiling trying to figure out what to do, and trying to ignore the feeling that there was an invisible clock ticking down the minutes until her time was up.
ns 15.158.61.19da2
