Keifer's POV
"Let go! Aaaggghhh!" I heard Jay-jay shouting.
They've been arguing for a while now. It bothers me that we're still just here watching. Every time I try to move forward, they stop me. They keep saying my recklessness will put her in danger.
As if she's not already in danger.
"Too noisy," I commented, trying to get their attention.
All three of them immediately shot me dirty looks.
"Seriously? What the heck? Are you trying to get Jay-jay killed?" Percy whispered harshly at me.
"I'm trying to get his attention," I explained.
But it seems like I didn't just get his attention.
"H-he's here." It was Jay, clearly searching for me.
"He's here? Is he really here?"
"W-who? Who is here?" That Sato guy also started looking around. We all tensed as he began moving Jay-jay away from us.
Nope! Not my girl!
"Let her go now!" Yuri shouted, and I almost smacked his red-haired head.
They were mad at me for making noise, and now here he is shouting too.
Sato got more agitated and tightened his grip on Jay-jay. I was about to move in when Percy suddenly stood in front of me and started singing.
"Let her go… Let her go… " he sang, complete with hand gestures.
Aries immediately smacked him. He turned to us.
"Who was that? That hurt!" Percy complained.
"Well, that's how it should be—chill."
It looked like Aries had enough. He suddenly stood up and walked toward where Sato and Jay-jay were.
"Let go of my sister!" he shouted.
Percy immediately followed, and so did Yuri. I let out a deep breath and followed after them. I removed my coat and tie because I knew they would just get in the way once the fight started.
Seeing my Jay-jay almost makes me cry. I badly want to run to her and give her a hug. I missed her so much, but why do we have to see each other in this kind of situation?
I looked into her eyes. And I know with those eyes, she's cursing me again.
I smirked at the thought.
"Tss… Profanity."
"Jerk!" Here she goes.
"That's what you noticed? You beast!"
Keep cursing my Queen, I'm counting them all.
I messed up my hair before throwing aside my coat and tie.
"I came back straight from London and you'll call me a jerk and a beast? No 'I miss you, Keifer' or anything?"
"Idiot! We saw each other yesterday!"
Yup! With a very nice greeting, Baby.
"Yeah. You cursed me then, didn't you?"
"I-I don't remember that! That wasn't me!"
Now she's denying it. I raised a brow and looked at her. She immediately avoided my gaze.
"The sky is beautiful—Aahhh… Ouch!"
Sato gripped her tightly. I almost ran to her, if not for the gun he was holding.
"Let go of Jay-jay now." It was Yuri, voice firm and threatening.
Jay-jay looked at him softly.
Don't look at him like that!
"Let go of Baby Sister. Isn't our handsomeness enough to scare you?" Percy, ever so confident.
I rolled my eyes.
Why wasn't his arrogance washed away in that accident? Or at least broken along with his confidence?
"Don't call her Baby Sister. She's my sister, not yours." Aries complained.
Percy pouted.
"You're so grumpy. Fine, I'll just call you my baby instead." He moved to hug Aries, who immediately raised his fist in warning.
"FREAKING LET ME GO!" Jay-jay suddenly screamed.
Sato clearly didn't like that. He shoved her to the ground and pointed his gun.
My reflexes kicked in. I ran as fast as I could and jumped at Sato.
"TAKE JAY-JAY AWAY FROM HERE!" I shouted, and I saw David rush in to carry her off.
A strong punch brought me back to my senses. I punched Sato back.
I didn't stop—not until we all heard the sound of a gun cocking.
"Move away!"
I checked who it was and saw a few men with tattoos—just like this Sato guy. I stepped aside like he wanted. At least 1 or 2 of them were still standing, but only 2 had guns in their hands.
I didn't know he still had men left. I thought only the ones on the ground were left.
Sato started speaking in Japanese while helping himself up. Yuri looked at him furiously.
"Yuri…" I called him to translate what this guy was saying.
"He said… he's going to torture Jay-jay after this."
That made me livid.
Ci-N was right about the Sato Clan. Torturers. And they choose anyone they want.
Sato spoke in Japanese again while walking toward his men. I looked at Yuri and he turned back to me.
"He said they'll deal with us first." He said, and we stared at each other, trying to come up with a plan.
But before we could think of anything, Percy made a reckless move.
"As if they can take us!" he shouted and threw a rock at them.
It hit one of the men with a gun, just as the other one was about to shoot at us. We all scattered and charged. Before he could pull the trigger, I managed to get to him. I kicked the gun away, but someone punched me. I tried to hit back, but someone held me from behind. He hit my stomach a couple of times.
I didn't plan on letting them beat me up.
Just as he was about to hit me again, I raised my legs and kicked him. The force was enough to bring down the guy holding me too. I knocked him out with a single punch.
I stood up and looked for Sato.
He'll pay for what he did to Jay-jay.
But my plan instantly changed when I saw him holding a gun and pointing it at someone. I followed his aim—
—to Yuri.
He was trading punches and had no idea. Giving him a warning wouldn't be enough. My body moved on its own.
"Yuri!" I shouted to call him.
"Stop, Keifer!" I heard Percy shout.
But it was too late. If I stopped now, Yuri would die. I saw Yuri looking at me, shocked. I jumped as high as I could to reach him, and the next thing I heard was multiple gunshots from Sato's gun.
We both fell.
I didn't feel anything in my body. And Yuri seemed fine.
We're safe.
Yuri immediately stood up and picked up the gun on the ground. He pointed it at Sato and fired multiple times. I saw Sato fall, blood spilling from his body.
"Shit!" Aries said.
Is he dead?
I tried to get up, but someone pushed me down.
"Don't move," Percy said while holding me down.
"W-what?" I asked, trying to look at him.
Aries sat beside me, and Yuri looked at me worriedly. I still had no clue why they were pushing me down. I was about to ask what was wrong when I felt my shirt soaking at the back.
Shit!
They lifted my shirt.
"Looks like it's shallow and the bleeding isn't too heavy," Percy said.
"What now?" Aries asked.
"We need to take him to the hospital. I'll call—"
"No. Don't call them," I cut him off.
Jay-jay will find out I got hit. I don't want her to worry. Besides, she's not good with blood. She hasn't gotten over her issue with it.
"What do you want then? Walk like that? The bleeding will get worse if you stand," Aries said and stood up.
"What do you think?" I asked sarcastically.
He chuckled in disbelief.
"It's dangerous, Keifer," Yuri said.
"Clear my path, I will walk normally."
"Fine. You should even walk faster so we can leave already. Run," Percy suggested.
Seriously?
"Too much movement will cause excessive bleeding," Aries said.
"And excessive bleeding will lead to death."
"Him? Die? His funeral would probably be a party," Percy said and laughed.
I badly wanted to punch his face, but I couldn't from this position.
I felt him adjusting my shirt before standing up and dusting off his own clothes.
"Ugh, I got blood on me!" he said, looking surprised.
Probably from me. And it's his fault anyway. He touched me without thinking.
"Move! Come on! Do I look like a rag to you?" Aries complained.
I looked at them and saw Percy wiping the blood off his hand using Aries' clothes.
"Just wiping. I need to look presentable for Freya loves," he said while fixing his hair.
"I'll go to them. I need to see if Jay-jay and my Freya are okay," he said, then looked at me.
"You only have a few minutes. Excessive bleeding will lead to death."
I don't know if he's trying to mess with me or scare me. Either way, he's not helping.
He turned and walked inside—different from the path we came from. That must be where Sato and our friends came from earlier.
I tried to move slowly. I tried sitting up, and blood began to pour down my back. I could feel the pain, but it was starting to go numb.
Not a good sign.
"Maybe we can at least cover his wound," Aries said and took out his handkerchief.
I quickly motioned with my hand for him to stop and pointed at my coat and tie behind him. He grabbed them and tossed them to me.
"Whatever. Don't blame me if you die," he said and turned around.
He walked inside the same way Percy did. I was about to stand when I saw what Yuri was holding.
"You should put it down," I said, looking at Sato.
I can't tell… but I think he's dead. Yuri killed—
"It's not over yet."
My forehead creased. When I looked at him, I realized he was staring at Sato too. I looked back at the dead—no.
"Is he still alive?" I asked as I saw him move slightly.
We both stared at him. A few small movements were enough to confirm he was still alive. Yuri walked toward him, still holding the gun.
I tried to stand using one hand for support, but it got cut by a sharp rock. I took my necktie and wrapped it around the wound. I tried to stand again and saw Yuri walking toward me.
He was no longer holding the gun. I looked at his clothes, noticing the blood covering him.
Not sure if that's my blood.
"Let me help you," he said, but I declined.
"I only got shot. I'm not paralyzed," I said and put on my coat.
"Do what I said—clear my path."
He pressed his lips together and turned, but he stopped after a few steps.
"I'm just wondering—if you die here…" he turned to face me with a deadpan look,
"no one will know how, why, or who did it, right?"
I tilted my head.
He really has time to make fun of me.
"You're a fvcker! It won't work with me," I said, and he smiled a bit before continuing to walk back inside.
At one point, I almost think that his threat is real. But of course, he's my friend. He can't do such a thing—.
My head automatically moves to Sato's not-so-alive body.
Is he really dead this time?
I'm about to walk toward his body, but my back is getting worse. I quickly wore my coat and walked inside. Every step I take feels like blood squirting from my back.
I just hope Jay-jay doesn't notice.I don't want her to have a panic attack and, worse, lose herself again.
I can almost see them all now. My stomach is twitching with every step I take.I shouldn't feel excited, but I can't control it. And when I saw her eyes, everything went silent.
My Jasper Jean.
"Keifer." Ci-N called me. Now it's no longer silent.
"Ci…"
"Are you okay?"
"Not good. I need to get out of here as soon as possible." I said, trying to control my dizziness.
"To our hospital. My dad will take care of you." he said, and I nodded.
"We'll take care of Jay-jay."
My head automatically turned to Jay-jay. She's looking at me, obviously worried. I remained stoic. I don't want to show that I badly miss her.
"Start walking, Keifer. You might collapse." Ci-N said, and I continued walking.
I tried not to look at her while walking, but it's like my reflex is finding a way to see her. My head turned to look at her, but I bit my tongue to keep quiet.
I continued walking, and when I got closer to Aries, I saw Ella beside him. She also looked at me. After all this time not facing her, now I can finally confirm—I really don't feel anything for her anymore.
And I thought my feelings would never move on.
I chose to walk past them. I could see Yuri and Percy both looking at me. Just like I asked, they cleared my path.
If I can get out quickly, I can reach the hospital quickly.
But something hit my back. I almost screamed in pain.
"Jay!" Yuri warned her.
Then another hard object hit my head. I'm starting to feel dizzy.
Am I losing too much blood?
I want to think it's because of the hard object, but obviously not. Staying here will put me in danger.
Then something soft hit me. What is it this time?
"There! Eat that! You jerk! Showing up and acting like nothing happened! Not even looking at me!" It was my Jay-jay.
Her voice is making me stay. I breathed heavily and turned to face her. She's looking at me furiously.
I looked at the scattered socks and shoes. I picked them up and handed them to Felix, who was nearby.
"Done?" I asked and saw pain in her eyes.
"If you're done, then I'm leaving."Because I might die here.
I was about to turn when she spoke again.
"You're so good at that! Turning your back and leaving! Go ahead, leave! That's all you're good at! You can face a fight but not me!"
She's right.
I can face a fight, but I'm a coward when it comes to facing her. I'm afraid of the pain.
"J-jay… that's enough." Rory said, clearly worried.
"Keifer… there's a lot of blood on your back." Felix whispered, and I could feel the wetness soaking my shirt.
The dizziness got worse.My vision is starting to blur.
Denzel said something to Jay-jay, and she looked at me even more fiercely.
"Really?!" she asked sarcastically.
"You're going to deal with things? Or are you just going to run away again?"
I looked at her intently.I'm not going to run away. I'm staying here for you.Even if staying means dying.As long as you're the last person I see before I go.
"…you haven't even faced me about the things you did to me! And now you're leaving again? What now? I'll wait again? Amazing!"
"Maybe this isn't the right time to talk about that." Percy said, but she still continued.
"If you're leaving, then go! But I can't promise there'll be anything left to come back to."
No, I will stay. That's my decision.
"Done?" I asked, and she nodded.
Now it's my turn. I walked as fast as I could toward her. When I reached her, both my hands held her face.
How I badly wished for this moment.
"You talk too much." I said and moved my lips to hers.
It feels like my heart just exploded because of too much happiness.If this is dying, I will hug my own grim reaper.
I thought this moment would never end.If I could, I'd stop time just to have more of this.
But I guess all wishes can't come true.The time I'm asking for isn't mine.
My body gave out and within seconds, everything went dark.
Maybe this is my time. My end has come.
I still want to go back because there's so much I haven't done, but I know I can't.
Or maybe not.
I woke up to the sound of beeping and pumping machines. My eyes were staring straight at the fluorescent bulb.
Definitely not dead.I can feel the pain from my back. My throat is dry and something's in my mouth.
I looked around and saw Keigan sitting beside my bed, holding my secret phone.
Fvck! He found out.
"K-keig-gan." I called him.
He looked at me and immediately pressed the emergency button on the wall above my bed.
"You're awake. You scared me, Kuya." he said and held my hand.
I could see happiness in his eyes. I tried to hold his hand back but I still felt weak. Doctors and nurses came in to check on me.
My Jay-jay. Where is she?
Moments later, the doctor declared that I was in stable condition. I still needed to rest after undergoing surgery. They removed the bullets from my back. It was a good thing they weren't too deep, according to the doctor.
After checking me up, they left—and as if on cue, my friends came in.
"Finally, you're awake." Percy said and was about to hug me, but Felix stopped him.
"Can't you see he just woke up? He's still not okay." he told his brother.
"Ready to fight again?" Denzel asked.
I smiled and nodded. They all laughed at my answer.
"We were worried about you." Ci-N said and gave me his gummy smile. "We were all scared something bad happened to you."
"Except for one." Mayo said without looking at me. Kit slightly hit him while the others turned silent.
If I could raise my brow, I would. Who are they talking about? I looked around to find a particular person.
Are they talking about my Jay-jay?
"W-where is s-she?" I asked them, and they all looked away.
It was Yuri who answered. "She's on the lower floor. She's admitted, along with Aries."
Admitted?
I almost raised my body to get up. "I-is she o-okay?"
Keigan immediately stopped me. "Stop, Kuya. That's dangerous."
"It's okay, Jay-jay is fine. Her Kuya Angelo was the one who admitted them to make sure they're both alright." Ci-N explained.
But I still wanted to see her. I want to see for myself if she's okay. I don't know what Sato did to her.
"I… w-want… see… J—" I said, trying to get up.
"Stop, Kuya." Keigan was still trying to stop me. He knew I wouldn't listen, so he turned to Ci-N. "Better to bring her here."
Ci-N nodded and walked out. Felix and Percy followed him.
I lay back down and rested. I felt the pain from my back. I'm hurting so much because of my condition. I looked at the rest of our friends. Most of them had minor bruises, but no one got hurt badly. Except me, of course.
They started talking about the incident. I just listened to them until the topic shifted to something else.
"But Sato was crazy, seriously. He gave up and killed himself out of fear."
Killed himself?
I looked at Yuri, who was also looking at me. Didn't he tell the truth? Where did that idea come from?
My forehead creased. I don't like what he's up to. A few minutes later, Ci-N returned with Felix and Percy. They were both empty-handed, which meant they couldn't bring Jay-jay here.
I just lay down and closed my eyes. I really want to see her.
I didn't realize I had fallen asleep again. I woke up when I felt my secret phone vibrate. It was resting under my hand as if someone had placed it there.
Keigan wasn't here. I slowly took the phone and saw the message. It was from my Jay-jay. I answered her message, and before I knew it, she was on the line talking to me.
I missed her voice, but I didn't like the way she was talking. She was telling a story about us. About me. Tears fell from my eyes. She was saying goodbye. She was really giving up.
When the call ended, I immediately removed my oxygen mask. I also pulled out the syringe that was in my skin. I pushed myself to get up.
I need to see her.
I was about to fully get up when someone pushed me back hard. I screamed in pain because of the impact on my back. My bed was made of foam, but the impact still hurt.
I looked at who did it, and I saw my brother — no, he looked like someone else.
"I can't believe Keigan trusted you." He said as if he wasn't Keigan. Or maybe he really wasn't.
"Everything is planned out. But you chose to be with your girl. Well, good for you, you got shot." He said and laughed. "Maybe I should let you die here." He walked closer to me. "Of course, that's not possible. Keigan might hurt himself." He pressed the emergency button.
The next thing I knew, doctors were giving me sedatives to calm me down. But I don't need those. I need to see my Jay-jay.
My eyes automatically closed. I lost consciousness before I could say anything to my brother.
I woke up at 2 AM. My brother was fixing everything to move me to London. But I can't leave without seeing my Jay-jay.
I let Keigan think I was still asleep. When he left my room, I continued with my plan. I removed everything attached to me. I pushed myself to get up.
I was gasping for breath by the time I managed to stand up. Because of the time, I didn't see any patients or nurses in the hallway. I called Aries using my secret phone.
"Do you know what time it is?" He asked, irritated.
"I need your help." I said and paused for a moment. "I'm not helping you. Go ask someone else."
"Please..." I literally sounded like I was begging.
"Fine. Where are you?" He said, sounding annoyed.
"Meet me at the elevator." I ended the call and walked as fast as I could.
When I got to the elevator, he was already inside, waiting for me. He was surprised when he saw my condition. I tried my best to convince him to let me see his sister.
He didn't want to at first, but he ended up taking me to their room. He even stood guard at the door to make sure no one would just walk in.
And right at that moment, I wanted to cry and hug my Jay-jay.
Please… Don't give up.