Worried expression plastered over her smol face, Ruby hurriedly stood up and walked towards Aqua — maybe from the shallow cut on Aqua's face, maybe from something completely else. The sound of Ruby's bare feet hitting the floor, coming closer, snapped Aqua out of his trance-like state of mind. He took an uncertain step back, away from Ruby. "Ruby, don't come closer, I'm a danger… Just stay right there, I will be gone in a second," he said, continuing to back up even further, until Ruby stopped moving towards him.
Aqua stepped into the room. He made sure to keep a good distance from Ruby, whose worried expression was not disappearing, as he edged closer to his desk. He used his hand to feel around for the right drawer. Just when he was about to find it, another jolt was sent through his body. Ruby took another step towards him. "Why are you here? What are you searching for?"
Aqua's hands darted forward. He held them in front of himself, his arms fully extended and his palms facing towards Ruby, who was still another meter away. "J-Just stay away, Ruby, please. I don't want to risk hurting you again," his voice shook.
Ruby took another small step. "Only if you tell me why you are here," she said in a pressing tone.
Aqua, who had the panic written on his face, looked around the room, searching desperately for another way. A moment later, he sighed and lowered his arms. "I need the videotape mom gave us for our birthday… But I can't tell you why," he said, voice quiet.
Ruby's expression, which had begun to turn brighter, darkened again. This only added more questions to her already troubled mind. "Oh… I understand." Her voice was colder and detached as she took a step back again.
"I'll lea-" Ruby began, but stopped again as she heard one of the floorboards on the stairs quietly creak, almost too quiet to hear it.
10th of January, 10:00 pm, Miyako's house
She dashed forward, surprising Aqua, who tried to raise his hands again. But he was too slow, she already grabbed his frail wrists, and opened the closet behind him. A moment later, he found himself in almost utter darkness, just a few bright rays landing on him through the small airholes in the door. He wanted nothing more than to push them open again; he really had no nerve for these games whatsoever. But something made him halt, then he heard it. A strong, male voice. "Is everything okay in here? I thought I heard voices, and wanted to check if he returned."
Aqua froze. His palms, which he pressed against the inside of the wardrobe, felt like they would be on fire compared to the cold sweat that poured over his forehead. The reason his house looked so clean just 24 hours after wasn't out of kindness or courtesy. The police had planned to catch him in case he returned home. Aqua tried to steady his breathing and stay as still as possible — a single noise and it could be over.
Ruby's response followed shortly after the officer spoke. "I think you might've heard me talking to my friend, Kana. We were just on the phone, I just needed to talk to her… But no, Aqua didn't come back, yet."
An unexpected but really welcomed warmth filled Aqua's heart as he realized that she was trying to cover for him. Even her voice was a lot brighter than just a moment ago.
"Interesting…"
Aqua could hear steps on the hardwood floor, yet he didn't dare to take a peek through the airholes just yet.
"You just referred to your friend as 'her'... But I believe I heard a male voice." The voices were being muffled by the walls of the closet. But they were still loud enough for Aqua to understand every last word.
A cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized that the officer wouldn't back off, where most officers would. "Is that so? Uh- Then you must be mistaken… Kana is female," Ruby spoke. But even Aqua could hear the small crackle in her voice.
Really Ruby? That's the best you can come up with?
Aqua finally peeked through the small airholes in the door of the closet. He could see Ruby standing just one meter in front of him, while the officer slowly approached.
"Why are you even standing there… Unless…" The officer reached his hand out, past Ruby and towards the door.
Aqua made himself ready to run, to shove the officer aside and pray that he isn't gunned down. But the door remained shut tight long after he had expected it to open. Then he heard it, the room filled with a high-pitched scream. The officer's hand shot back, and his expression filled with shock. The room was filled with loud sobs coming from Ruby as she hugged herself, slowly backing away from the officer until her back hit the closet, making it impossible for her to back up further. "P-Please don't touch me… I don't want this."
The officer looked pale as a ghost. "I-I I'm sorry, I didn't want to-," he began to stutter out, as he reached out to try and console Ruby.
This only prompted Ruby to scream again, cowering down in the corner between the foot of the bed and the wall, covering her head with her arms while making herself as small as possible. "Pwease- Pwease go away," she stuttered out in between her sobs.
The officer was just about to turn around when he was roughly shoved out of the way, Miyako emerging from behind him as he tumbled to the side. She knelt down and gently embraced Ruby's shaking frame while caressing the back of her head. She only spoke when Ruby's sobs began to quiet down again, "You seriously have no sensitivity whatsoever… You know what she just went through, and you still think that this is the best way to handle this situation? I seriously hope you don't have a daughter, for her sake."
Miyako stroked Ruby's hair one last time before standing back up, her demeanor turning to anger as she looked the officer up and down. "Why are you still standing here?"
The officer, clearly taken aback by all the reactions, regained his composure before he spoke. He tried to sound firm; however, there was a slight crack in his voice. "Ma'am, I have a strong-"
Miyako interrupted him, as she saw a dirty spot, unnoticed by everyone else, on the ground. "You'd better move your ass downstairs right about now, or the only thing you will have is a strong lawsuit on your desk by tomorrow morning." Her voice was cold; it was enough to make a shiver run down everyone's spine.
"I-I understand, ma'am," The officer said as he looked at the wardrobe one last time, hesitating for a moment. Then he turned around and walked back outside and down the stairs.
Miyako stood still; then she looked around the room, first at the patch of dirt, then at Ruby, who had stopped sobbing completely, and then finally at the wardrobe. She took a step towards it, her eyes filled with conflict and sadness as she carefully placed her hand against its hard wooden wall, gently gliding over it. "Thanks, Aqua… For protecting Ruby," with that, she turned away and headed downstairs, too, leaving Aqua and Ruby alone once again.
Aqua's heart threatened to jump out of his chest and shoot the wooden wall with such a loud thud that the officer downstairs would even hear it. Goosebumps had begun to form on his entire body when the officer glanced over to him about two minutes earlier. His ears rang so loudly that he couldn't hear what was going on around him. Suddenly, the doors of the wardrobe were pushed open. Before him stood Ruby, her face smeared with tears. "We're even now… You helped me, so I helped you. Don't read too much into it," she said, stepping away from the closet, letting Aqua step out of it.
"So all of that was a charade?" Aqua carefully asked while he looked Ruby up and down.
Ruby smiled at him. "Of course it was… But I think Miyako looked through it."
Aqua looked into her eyes for a short moment before he turned away again. "Thanks," he mumbled before he turned his attention back to his desk. He opened a locked compartment. The lock was broken, probably by the police, yet its contents remained. He rummaged around for a second before grabbing the tape and silently inspecting it.
"Killing Kamiki really didn't help, huh." Ruby's words brought Aqua back out of his thoughts
He slid the tape into his pocket in a single, swift motion. Just when he wanted to walk past Ruby, she stopped him, holding her arm out in front of him. "You should forget about her… Forgetting Ai is the only way you can ever find joy again," she said.
A glint of hatred flashed before Aqua's eyes as he registered Ruby's words. Luckily, she couldn't see it with her eyes aimed at the ground. Aqua's hand instinctively formed a fist, but this time, he was quick enough to relax it before he lost his temper the way he did last time. After a moment, he just kept walking, not giving Ruby the response she hoped for.
Ruby continued to stand in the doorway as she looked after Aqua, who was walking further and further away. "Aqua-" she quietly called out.
He stopped and slowly turned around, now facing her again. The room remained silent for a long moment. Then Ruby spoke, "...It's nothing."
Aqua didn't respond anymore; he just headed down the stairs. Ruby stood in the doorway long after he had left. Eventually, she stepped back inside his room, quietly shutting the door before walking back over to his bed, sitting down in the exact position Aqua had found her in half an hour ago.
"Why did I lie to him?" she asks herself. Wrapping her arms around her legs, which were pressed against her chest. "When the officer reached his hand out… it terrified me…"
The hold on her legs tightened. "I'm doing exactly what he did to me… But I wanted to be better, not repeat his actions…"
Ruby remained silent for a long moment; even her mind was clear of any thoughts. Then her voice sounded somber. "Is this how he felt after lying to me? Because it feels horrible… Probably even worse than the times he lied to me."
She reached under the blanket and pulled out one of Aqua's hoodies. It was crumpled up and warm. She buried her head in it and breathed in. Aqua's scent flooded her lungs, making her lose herself in the sensation. After inhaling the aroma for a minute, she pulled the hoodie over her head. It was far too big for her, so it was exactly what she needed. She pulled it over her legs, too, which were still pressed up against her chest, making her more hoodie than human. "Maybe I should at least thank him for what he did for me…" She fidgeted with the ribbon of the hoodie, her eyes void of their usual sparkle.
Ruby sighed while drawing the hood over her head. Then she pulled on both ribbons, almost completely engulfing her head, too; only her eyes remained uncovered… just in case. "Ahh, this is all so confusing, I just want… I don't know," she groaned as she breathed out.