Rina tried to open her eyes but it was like someone was holding them down, trying to force her to stay in the darkness. The only thing that was real was the pain, and it was in all of her body. She didn't dare to move, not even to feel how bad it was. Something was running down her face and she was quite sure that it wasn't water. Panic started to rise inside her, no matter how much she had seen in her life she had never been as badly hurt as she was now.

He wanted to kill me, the words eccoed in her head with a clarity that scared her. She knew that she was somewhat lucky to be alive, but that didn't feel like so much of a comfort at the moment.

A small sound reached her ears, made it's way through her mangled mind and made her hold her breath not to make unnessesairy movements. Someone was there, and it was more than one person. She wasn't sure that Matthew was even gone. It had been a while since the last punch but that didn't mean much. More people could just as easily be bad news as good ones, she wasn't so out of it that she didn't get that. 

A moan reached her ears, and the sound of someone being pushed into the fence on the side of the pedestrian walk. More steps and then voices. She couldn't hear what they where saying, but the sound told her that they wheren't friendly. How long have they both been here?, for some she was sure that they wheren't more than two. The question though, was one she couldn't answer. Time was just as illuside as everything else.

"If you touch her again I will kill you", she person that spoke was close now, very close, and she recognised the voice. The muscles in her face twinched, she wanted to smile of relieve, but it wasn't quite possible. Instead she focused her attention on opening her eyes. Even that was painful, but this time she was determent, and after what seemed like an eternety she could see the world around her again.

Yujis eyes met hers, he had no sunglasses today, and a smile spread trough his pale face. He had a cracked lip, a little drop of blod was making it's was down his chin, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He was kneeling besides her and even though he seemed happy that she was contious his gaze was worried.

"Hi", he appeared calm, but even in that single word she could hear that he was not. Carefully he touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. His hand were trembling slightly. The touch wasn't as painful as she had thought it would be, but enough to make her realise how she must look.

"Hi", she answered. Her words were weak, just barely audible, but they seemed to make him feel a little better. He lifted her head, as slowly as he could, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Do you think that you can move", she wasn't really sure about it, actually she was quite convinced that she would prefer not to, but she didn't want to scare him more than she obviously had done already. She almost let out a laugh at the though, she was the one that could have been beaten to death and still he was the one she was worrying about. It was nuts, to be mild about it, but it was how she felt. 

"I can try", she said and lifted one hand to push herself up from the ground. A little cry of pain escaped her as she did so and Yuji quickly put his arm around her to help. She was grateful, even though she had never been a person that would willingly show her weakness to someone else. His touch was reassuring, when he held her she felt sure that everything was going to be all right.

"We have to get you to a hospital", he said into her ear as they started to make their way down the street.

"No", Rina knew that it was stupid, she knew that she needed to follow his advidce is she should be able to call herself even a little sane, but just as well she knew that she wasn't going to. Her mother couldn't afford a hospital bill, neither could she, and no matter how her upbringing had looked she didn't want her mother to have that on her contience. "We can't go to the hospital".

Yuji looked at her for a moment, then he nodded, "okay, than we will go to my place". Rina gave a little sigh of relieve when he didn't ask why, she wasn't sure she had the energy to explain her messed up home situation at the moment. He would listen, he had this morning, but she wanted to make him really understand and in this condition that wasn't possible. 

"Did you fight him", she asked instead, but she was quite sure that she knew the answer already.

"Yes", Yuji answered with a faint smile, "I had the element of surprise on my side". It was suppose to be some sort of explanation she though, but still she didn't get how someone his size could take someone like Matthew in a fight. For now though, she didn't have the energy to figure it out. With a little sigh she fixated her eyes on a point further down the road and kept on walking.

"Matthew did this?", Max sat beside her in the sofa with a lit cigarette in his hand and looked at her under a huge pair of black sunglasses. He had been in the little house when they got there, and actually he had seemed almost as chocked as Yuji. Although he had gotten over it a little quicker.

"Yeah", she lifted her right hand, which was now bandaged all the way to the elbow. It was not broken, Max had said with a concentrated face, but sprained. Other than her right knee hurt and she had bruises all over he body. A deep gash that must have come from Matthew boot covered half of her right cheek, she felt it every time she spoke.

"You are lucky to be alive", Max said as he rose and put out the cigarette, "he has killed people". She knew this, everyone did, but it sounded a lot more real when it came from him. He lived all his life in this world, people like Matthew were always there like a threat for him. For her this was new, the new chapter in her life had brough along a whole set of new enemies. 

"See you later, Yujis toy", Max gave her a smirk just before he disapeared around the corner, and with a little effort she managed to smile back. He was nice, in his own way, somewhere inside her she wished for im to accept her.

As he left Yuji came back into the room. He had a cigarette in his hand as well, he had smoked about twenty of them in the hour they had been back. It made him relax, that was what he had said to Max when he had said that he was going to get cancer if he smoke that much. The exuse seemed quite poor, Yuji still apeared quite chocked and his face was just as pale as before.

"I will be fine", after all Rina was quite sure about that. It might take a while, but she was going to sooner or later, "I promise". He gave her a smile and took a few steps closer to sit down on the edge of the table.

"I am so sorry", when he met her eyes there were tears in his, "I am so sorry that you have gotten dragged into this".