Ruby and Miyako thought long and hard about a story that wouldn't be too far-fetched, but also be able to help Aqua out. Just when they finally came up with something coherent, a person entered the room; she didn't look like a nurse or a doctor. The person introduced themself as a victim's advocate. The hospital staff had deemed Ruby stable enough to give her statement if she wanted to do so.
Ruby stayed quiet for a long time, acting like she needed to evaluate her options. Then she agreed to make her statement and slowly got out of bed with Miyako's help.
10th of January, 4:00 am, Hospital
After they had walked for a few minutes, both Ruby and the advocate arrived at a seemingly normal hospital room. The hospital around them was surprisingly quiet. Ruby thought that it would be far more alive than what she had already known from her days in Miyazaki. The new room Ruby found herself in looked at least a bit more comfortable than the other hospital rooms, yet it was still a cold and white room, nothing special after all. On the left side, around the halfway point of the room, there was a desk. It looked a tad bit out of place, the detective who sat at it even more so.
Okay, it's important that I make the right decision, should I lie down in bed or should I sit down at the table, and when I sit down, which chair do I pick?
Ruby walked slowly so she could have more time to think.
Ruby's breathing picked up as her gaze darted from chair to chair, then she picked the one closest to the wall and sat down. She and the advocate to her right had barely sat down as the detective began. In front of him were his clipboard and a pen, which were perfectly parallel to each other, while a cup, presumably filled with coffee, stood next to them.
"My name is Hideki Ryuga, and I'm the detective who will take your statement." His voice was professional, almost cold, far less gentle than the advocate's or even the nurse's.
He grabbed his clipboard and silently went over it for a moment before he looked back up. "So, Ruby. I know that tonight's been difficult for you. I just need to understand what exactly happened so we can protect you and anyone else in danger. You can take your time with your responses."
For a few seconds, nothing but silence filled the room. "Actually, Ruby, if you don't feel like responding to a question, we can skip it or stop completely," the advocate said, looking at Ruby.
"Exactly," The detective smiled at Ruby. "So, can you please start by telling me what happened tonight in your own words? Start from the moment you realized someone was in your room."
Ruby's heart beat almost as fast as it did when the attacker first entered her room. She just focused on her breathing, in and out, as her mind went over the plan time upon time again in the matter of mere seconds. When she looked up again, she saw her advocate, not staring, but definitely peeking at her, ready to end all of this before it had even started. "I wanted to run away, but when I reached my door, I remembered that I had locked it, and before I could unlock it, he had already grabbed me. I tried to fight him off, b-but he was just too strong… When he pushed me onto my bed, it was really scary. He told me that he would kill me if I didn't listen…" Ruby said, her voice monotone and shallow, acting as detached as she could.
Ruby tried to peek as the Detective began to write something down on his clipboard; however, from where she sat, it was impossible to even catch a single glimpse of it without looking too curious. Each time the pen glid over the paper, a new wave of paranoia was sent through her body. —What if he knows?
"You're doing this great, Ruby. Now, you said he was too strong for you. How did the altercation resolve then?"
Ruby looked up at the detective and let a subtle sparkle escape her eyes for just a moment before she hid it again. But she didn't look back down; instead, she continued to stare at the detective as she spoke. "My brother, he's the best. He fought the attacker even though he was armed. Aqua is so brave… But it was even scarier than what happened before… Every time the guy slashed my brother, I thought…" she took a deliberate break, "I thought he was going to die because of me."
The victims' advocate, who was just silently observing and making sure that the detective wouldn't overstep any boundaries, grabbed a bottle of water and placed it down in front of Ruby before nodding at the detective, permitting him to continue. "Okay, Ruby, feel free to drink something if you're thirsty. We can also take a break at any time if you want to." Ruby just shook her head while she lowered it back down again.
"Well, if that's the case, then let's continue so we can wrap this up as fast as possible. What happened next? You mentioned your brother being slashed, but from the evidence we have, it looks like your brother actually won the fight."
Ruby picked the bottle up and examined it for a moment. It was just the typical brand that almost every hospital had. She never particularly liked it, but it brought a bit of warmth and, more importantly, time. "I can't really remember much of the fight, most of it was in the hallway while I was lying in my room…" She began as she slowly placed the bottle back down, without averting her eyes, though.
"When I managed to leave my room, the fight was still going on. My brother was winning, but the guy just wouldn't stop reaching for his knife. My brother tried to kick it away while keeping the other guy restrained. I think both of them were hurt really badly by that point, so I wanted to help and take the knife away… But then…" Her words trailed off.
The detective took a long sip from his black coffee as he mentally went over what he had written down on his clipboard. Then he placed his, now half-empty, cup back down and gently smiled at Ruby. "But then…" he encouraged Ruby to continue.
Ruby didn't immediately continue; instead, she took the bottle of water, now really grateful for it, and started to slowly gulp down its contents. It really didn't taste all that good, to be honest, but she still continued even though she wasn't even thirsty. "Then… My brother hit me by accident…" she mumbled after she had emptied every last droplet of water out of the bottle.
"This must've been horrible for him; he always was overprotective, and hitting me… He just sat there with empty eyes, while looking up and down, at his hands, and then at my face… It hurt so bad… I saw, like, the pain in his eyes, but couldn't tell him that it's alright…"
The detective eagerly noted everything down. Then, suddenly, he looked up at Ruby and raised one eyebrow before he hurriedly looked back down. He scribbled something that was once again impossible for Ruby to see down, before he put the clipboard away again. "Okay, one last question. Your brother, Aqua, is currently missing. Do you know where he is?"
Sweat formed on Ruby's palms as the drilling gaze of the detective hit her full force.
Does he know?
Where did I slip up?
This is not good.
Okay, calm down.
Maybe you're misinterpreting all of this.
Maybe he is jus-
*krrshhh*
A loud thud in the hallway ripped Ruby out of it and made her jump. Her eyes darted around the room while she tried to somewhat hide her body behind her chair; her heart felt like it was about to explode once more.
"Hey, everything is okay, you are safe, nobody can hurt you." The victim advocate said, doing her best to calm Ruby, who looked like a scared animal, back down.
Ruby looked around the room again, looking particularly long at the door. Then she sighed and slumped back down in her chair. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot your question…" She said with a quiet voice. "Could you repeat it?"
The look in the detective's eyes shifted as he looked back down at his clipboard once more. He silently went over the same passage once again, but instead of raising his eyebrow, he now just nodded to himself. "Yes, of course. I asked if you know about your brother's whereabouts."
Ruby thought, then shook her head. "No…" her voice really urgent all of a sudden, "But I think I know why he ran away… It was because he hit me…" She took a long break. "After striking me, he stopped trying to contain the guy; instead, he knocked him out so he would finally stop reaching for the knife… Then he got up and ran away…"
The detective grabbed his briefcase from the ground and put the clipboard inside it. Then he carefully closed it again and placed it back where he got it from, before turning his attention back to Ruby. "Thanks for your cooperation… I'm sure we will resolve this situation in no time. For now, is there anything you need?"
Ruby shook her head. "No, I think I just want to sleep now…"
He got up from his chair and picked up his briefcase. "Great, I will leave the two of you to it then… Oh, and Ruby... I noticed one of your statements doesn't fully align with our evidence. If you ever remember something else, you can just call the non-emergency line, and we will reevaluate your statement."