vii. Escape (6~15~07)
#7 of How to Make a Diamond
Ayumi stood in disbelief for a full second before bolting for the door. She held the small package in her teeth and picked up the box, almost dropping it again as she struggled to open the door. Suddenly, she remembered all of her wallet contents still sitting on the desk. Panicking, she held the door open with a footpaw and hurriedly collected the few items, sticking them into her mouth with the small package and clamping tightly onto it with her teeth. She shot a fearful glance back at Roland, who was still looking at his watch. "T-minus seventy-five seconds." Ayumi shrieked behind her package and flew through the door.
She bolted down the hallway towards the stairwell, praying Murasaki was still there, waiting for her. She threw herself against the door, which didn't resist, but simply swung open. There, sitting on the stairs to the next floor, was Murasaki, a worried expression on her face. Upon seeing Ayumi carrying her box, Murasaki jumped up and came over to help, taking the box from her. "Ayumi, what the he-"
Ayumi shook her head, taking the small package out of her mouth and immediately stuffing it into her pocket. "No time! We've got to get out of here!" She grabbed Murasaki's arm and dragged her out of the stairway. Thankfully, Murasaki didn't argue, but seemed to catch the urgency of the situation and followed Ayumi of her own volition. She didn't ask any questions, but it was obvious from her expression that Ayumi's fear was contagious.
Ayumi hated it, but at the moment, she didn't really care how frightened Murasaki was, because she knew that if she and Murasaki weren't gone in sixty seconds, they were both going to die, here in a dingy, lonely apartment complex. Ayumi didn't really care so much what happened to her personally, but she would rather see Dan in a chop shop than let anything happen to Murasaki, especially anything that was her fault.
When they reached the outside door, Ayumi kicked the crash bar, sending the door flying open, while at the same time pulling out her keychain and remotely starting her car. Murasaki was already ahead of Ayumi by now, carrying her box, and as soon as the roof was low enough, she threw the box into the backseat and vaulted over the passenger side door. She was already buckled in with the radio off by the time Ayumi finally got to the car. She threw herself over the door and jammed the key into the ignition, turning it and fastening her seatbelt at the same time. Then, she released the parking break, pulled the car into reverse, and hit the gas. The car whipped violently backwards, almost colliding with another car across the way, and Ayumi quickly shifted back into drive and floored the accelerator again. This time, the car screeched forward, and Ayumi barely had enough time to yank the wheel around to get it to the street. Once on the street, she disregarded every traffic law in existence and screamed down the road, running for her life.
Several dozen breathless and fearful miles later, Ayumi pulled into a spot outside of Murasaki's residence hall and cut the engine. The two vixens sat silently in the darkness for a while, listening to the sounds of their own panicked breathing. Finally, Murasaki mustered up sufficient courage to speak. "Wh...what just happened?"
Ayumi didn't answer immediately; she couldn't. She was still trying with little success to organize her chaotic thoughts. My father...the panther...a new name...no longer affiliated? My father...Dan...and my computer...but the apartment...and everything else! My father...it all came back to him. She tried to start the explanation with him, but as soon she opened her mouth, a vicious wave of nausea rolled over her, and terrified that she would ruin the expensive leather interior of her car-turned-mobile home, she leaned over the driver's side door, gagging and retching.
"Ayumi!" Murasaki leapt over her door and ran around to Ayumi's side, extracting the keys from the ignition and punching the button to open the driver's side door. She then leaned Ayumi back a little so the door could pass between them, and then caught her again as the grey vixen, no longer able to support herself under the incredible weight of the evening's revelations, rolled out of the car and into Murasaki's waiting arms.
Ayumi coughed and swallowed, her eyes watering a little. "I-I'm fine, Mura...I just...I n-need a few s-seconds, that's all..." Murasaki gently sat Ayumi down on the driver's seat and knelt in front of her, holding her upright while the grey vixen tried to pull herself back together. Ayumi clasped her paws together in her lap in an effort to stop them shaking. Her teeth were chattering slightly, as well, and she was still struggling to control her gag reflex. Her body was having a hard time coping with the confusion and flood of hormones her brain was suffering from as it strained to find a suitable response to the thoughts it was entertaining. With only one reaction to confusion of this caliber, Ayumi's bewildered body was acting as though she'd been poisoned, and the response was as frightening and painful as the thoughts themselves.
Through the pain and fear, though, Ayumi was faintly aware of Murasaki's voice murmuring soothingly in the background, and to her surprise, Murasaki's words, along with a few deep breaths, slowly calmed the grey vixen's nerves enough for her to take Murasaki's paws in her own and slowly stand up.
"Easy..." The red vixen quickly slid a free arm around Ayumi's shoulders. Ayumi's knees were still a little weak, but as with Murasaki's voice, the vixen's touch gave Ayumi sufficient strength for her to take a few tentative steps away from the car. Murasaki guided Ayumi's paw down to the body of the car. "Lean here for a second." The red vixen then went to retrieve Ayumi's box before returning and putting her free arm back around the grey vixen's shoulders. She studied the remote in her paw for a moment before discovering and pressing the button to close the door. Once the doors and roof closed and locked, the security system automatically engaged, and the parking lot fell silent and dark again.
Murasaki gently hefted Ayumi's arm up over her shoulders and shifted the box so it was resting on her hip. "Let's go inside, dear." Ayumi was a long way from protesting as the red vixen slowly led her up the lawn and into the building.
A few moments later, Murasaki sat Ayumi down on her bed and closed the door to her room, carefully locking it behind her before setting Ayumi's box on the floor and taking a seat on the bed next to her. The two vixens then looked at each other in silence for a moment, Murasaki's face painted with concern, Ayumi's with a chaos of indescribable feelings. Then, Murasaki softly asked, "How are you?"
As if on cue, Ayumi's eyes flooded with tears and her face fell as she began to sob. Murasaki started slightly, but then reached out and clutched the grey vixen, pulling her forward into a tight embrace. For a solid ten minutes, the two just sat together while Ayumi cried into her friend's shoulder. She couldn't stop. As unhappy as she'd been before moving to the States, as unhappy as she'd been before she'd met Murasaki, as unhappy as she'd been before today, nothing she had ever experienced even approached how she felt now.
Until today, she had simply been a target of indifference and irritation, a mosquito bite on her father's neck. Now, though, she realized she was no longer just irritating, she was dangerous, a liability in his life that he could no longer ignore. Ever the businessman, he wanted it eliminated, as quickly as possible. His irritation had evolved into pure and heartless loathing. Who cared if it was his own daughter he hated? Who cared if she didn't even live in Japan anymore, and that she hadn't associated herself with him since she'd left? All he cared about was his money, his company, and his reputation. Ayumi had never accused her father of being loving or even really that concerned with her life or happiness. Secretly, Ayumi had always suspected that her birth had been a mistake, possibly the worst one her father had ever made. Now, though, she was convinced. Her father never wanted a child, and certainly not a daughter. If anything, at least a son could have eventually taken over the company and had a shot at making her father proud. But Ayumi had never had a chance.
"Ayumi?"
Murasaki's voice pulled Ayumi sharply out of her reverie, and she looked up at the other vixen, tear tracks still staining her cheeks. Murasaki reached out and gently touched a single tear that was still clinging to her fur. Ayumi sniffed and cleared her throat before responding. "S-sorry, Mura. I didn't think...I didn't mean..." she caught Murasaki's eyes, and the look of sheer indignation on the red vixen's face actually brought a watery smile to Ayumi's face. "I know. No apologizing, right? Alright, alright. I...thanks, Mura."
"Don't mention it. Now...are you going to tell me what happened back in there?" Murasaki raised an eyebrow at the grey vixen. "I can't think of too many things that would make me drive a car worth my tuition through med school like I was drag racing."
Ayumi sighed. "No, and you're right. Not too many things would make me drive like that, either."
"But...?"
Ayumi looked Murasaki directly in the eyes. "I discovered one tonight."
"I surmised." Murasaki made herself a little more comfortable on the bed. "But you promised that you'd tell me all about it when you came to get me from the stairwell, so talk." Then, she seemed to realize how crass it sounded to demand something like that, and sat forward, touching Ayumi's knee with one paw. "But take your time...I mean...don't force yourself or anything like-"
Ayumi cut her off. "Mura?"
"Yes?"
"Hush it."
"Okay."