| Fan Fiction |
by shattered teardrops
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Miharu could feel Shin’s warm breath by the base of her neck and it wasn’t helping her to stabilize her rampaging heart. It had been years since she allowed a man to be of this close proximity to her. She had always distanced herself from the people around her. It was more of a defensive mechanism to keep away anyone. But at that very moment, she allowed Shin to guide her, she allowed him to monetarily take control over her.
Miharu gulped as she felt Shin encircled his arms over her as he directed her actions.
“Would you be surprised if I told you that I’ve never tried firing a gun before?” Miharu asked, trying to divert her attention from their very compromising and very distracting position.
“No… You don’t even know how to handle a gun.” Shin replied confidently as if he had known all along that Miharu never knew how to handle a gun. “When you pointed a gun at me the first time we met, the gun was loaded but you forgot to undo the safety lock at the side of the barrel. By then, even if you tried pulling the trigger, the gun wouldn’t have blasted.” Shin explained.
Miharu chuckled. “So that’s why you were so confident back then even when a gun was already pointed in your face.” She remarked as she remembered how she pointed a gun into his face the first time they met. She knew that she made quite an impression on him, but he did the same to her so it was fair.
“Well, let’s just say that I’ve had a gun pointed at my face in several other situations so it wasn’t surprising anymore.”
“You’ve been doing this for so long, have you?” Miharu easily noticed how Shin seemed very adept in handling guns as soon as he brought her into an exclusive firing range facility outside the city. It was no doubt that very few people knew about the place since one could not enter easily without a membership ID. Little did Miharu know that she was in fact inside an InDeCo facility.
“Let’s not talk about that…” Shin replied and shifted the direction of the conversation. “This is a 9 millimeter hand gun. It’s best suited for women to be used in short distance shooting like maybe 10 to 15 meters. It’s an effective weapon to kill a person within close range…” Shin leveled his lips with Miharu’s ears as he whispered while directing her on how to properly hold a gun.
Shin gulped as beads of sweat trickled down his face. Miharu’s scent wafted dangerously close unto his nose and filled him with unexpected euphoria. His logical side told to him step away at that very moment. But his heart was giving him away. His logical mind told him to stop but it was as if his actions were directed by something higher than his brain. It took everything in his will power to keep his mind off Miharu and concentrate instead on teaching her how to handle a gun.
“There are four things you must keep in mind when you have a gun at hand. One, always put in mind that the gun you’re holding is loaded. Two, keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. Three, always be sure of your target and what is behind it. Lastly, four, never point a gun at something you’re not prepared to destroy.” Shin itinerated seriously.
“Alright… I understand…” Miharu replied as she held the gun pointing straight into her target. “So… Is there anything else I should know about firing a gun?” She asked.
Shin slowly released her. “Don’t miss…” He smiled.
Miharu gulped. Missing the target was something she didn’t want to commit but she was a complete beginner! She bit her lips in unuttered concentration but every time she slowly closed in her index finger to pull the trigger, she was scared to make a mistake and miss her target. She was pressuring herself too much that it was difficult for her to make the first shot.
Just as Miharu was about to finally take her first shot, someone abruptly pulled her hand down. It was Shin. For Miharu’s first shot, the bullet hit the floor instead of the target. Shin held Miharu’s hand that was holding the gun and felt her shaking. He slowly withdrew the gun from her hand and massaged her palm to relieve the pressure.
“You shouldn’t tense up when firing. It’ll only make you miss your target…” Shin spoke calmly as he held her hand in his.
“Then why the hell did you pull my hand downwards! I could’ve hit the target if it weren’t for you!” Miharu argued.
“Even if I did not intervene, you would still have missed. You were gripping the gun so tightly and your hands were beginning to shake. When things like that happen, it’s most likely for you to miss than for you to hit your target. I simply stopped you before you could make a mistake.” He explained. “You should relax your hand and your grip on the gun. You shouldn’t hold it with too much force but you shouldn’t hold it too loosely. Just relax…” Shin instructed.
“Let’s try again.” Shin gave the gun back to Miharu. This time, instead of letting her shoot on her own, Shin stood closely behind her as he placed his hand clamped over hers. Her hands were still a bit shaky but since Shin was holding them, he was able to steady them in place.
“Take a deep breath…” Shin instructed and Miharu did so…
“You’re gripping the gun too tightly again… Relax…” Shin whispered softly to which Miharu obeyed.
“Miharu… Look at me…” Shin instructed again.
Miharu turned her head to her left and looked at Shin.
Instantly, crimson met azure…Vermilion met cerulean...
Then, with a soft smile and Shin’s hand clamped over Miharu’s,
Shin pulled Miharu’s index finger to fire the gun.
The lone sound of a single fire echoed through the firing range but Miharu seemed to have not heard it because she had been drowned into the pools of azure that was Shin’s eyes. As if hypnotized, Miharu was caught up in a deadlock gaze into Shin’s deep cerulean orbs. For a few seconds, they stayed in the same position. Shin with both his hands around Miharu as he held her hands in place while holding the gun.
“Congratulations! You’ve officially fired your first bullet.” Shin spoke.
Almost instantly, Miharu was snapped out of her trance. She felt her cheeks burning as she realized how idiotic she must have looked. She slowly dropped the gun down and Shin immediately took it out of her hand for safety. Miharu instantly felt her heart stirring uncontrollably inside her chest with a single graze of their hands. When she lifted her eyes to look at the target, she was dumbfounded and caught in awe.
On her very first official shot towards a target, Miharu hit the bull’s eye… on the center of the target’s head.
“Not bad for a first-timer…” Shin remarked with a smile and began checking the gun again to ensure safety. “How about if you try it on your own this time? Just don’t forget to relax and take a deep breath… Don’t let the nervousness get to you…” He added nonchalantly as he handed the gun back to Miharu.
“What was that all about?” Miharu asked Shin as she took the gun in her hand.
“What’s what?” Shin asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
“You just called me Miharu…”
Shin was caught off guard with her question but as luck would have it, Shin was saved from answering Miharu’s question when Lt. Nakamura Ienari suddenly appeared marching towards them with two other uniformed men by her side. On her face was a rigid expression telling Shin that he was in for a few minutes of sermon.
“Hara, in my office. Now.” Lt. Nakamura instructed then turned to the two men beside her. “And both of you, guard the Prime Minister’s daughter.” She momentarily threw a strict and knowing glance at Shin before speaking again. “She’s allowed to use the facility. If she has any questions regarding guns, teach her.” She shortly added which placed a small smile on Shin’s lips.
As soon as Hara and Lt. Nakamura were inside the Lt.’s office which was overlooking the whole firing range, it was only then that Lt. Nakamura released her sentiments.
“What the hell are you doing?!” She asked while raising her voice as she turned to Shin while leaning on her table.
“I’m sorry… I know this is unethical but please, just allow me to do what I see fit to be done.” Shin pleaded with a serious expression all over his face. He wouldn’t be pleading like this if this assignment didn’t hold any importance to him at all. However, within the last few days, somehow, something changed, and Shin caught himself not only doing his job… He was doing more than his job.
“This is so unlike you…” Lt. Nakamura remarked with a strained expression on her face. “You know that my first duty before being your superior, is being your spotter. I can easily report this incident so they could suspend you. This could be stain in your record, Hara. You compromised InDeCo’s obscurity and security by bringing a civilian here…” She threatened.
“You wouldn’t do that…”
Lt. Nakamura walked towards the glass pane of her office and looked out into the shooting range. She looked at Miharu, who was busy taking shots towards the target. She seemed to have been deeply caught up with shooting to have completely ignored the presence of the two uniformed men by her side. Lt. Nakamura saw an earnest and equally determined expression on the young woman’s face as she took shots.
“If she wasn’t the daughter of the Prime Minister, she would make a good agent…” Lt. Nakamura softly spoke.
“What do you mean by that?” Shin asked.
“She has that look in her. The same look in your eyes when you take on a gun and point it at a target… She’s fierce, Hara. She’s still untamed… I don’t know what prompted you to teach her these things, but I have to warn you, she has a tendency to become a monster by herself…” Lt. Nakamura looked at Shin with a serious expression on her face. Although Shin didn’t quite understand what Lt. Nakamura meant, it was enough to warn him that above everything else, he must guard Miharu.
Lt. Nakamura looked out the glass pane again. And this time, her serious expression was replaced by sheer amusement. “For the second time, I think you ought to know that she seemed to have a problem with men and their egos… See for yourself.” Lt. Nakamura inclined her heard towards the glass pane overlooking the firing range. Shin walked towards where his spotter stood and looked at Miharu as well.
What he saw surprised the hell out of him. He was surprised at how fast Miharu became at ease in handling guns. Furthermore, Miharu was hitting the same target one shot after another. She was shooting the crotch part of the target. That just made Shin cringed and Lt. Nakamura chuckle.
“I’m beginning to like her…” Lt. Nakamura remarked.
On the other hand, since Miharu was left in the care of the two uniformed men by her side, she grew sulking each minute that she was alone. She didn’t like associating with strangers, especially men who seemed like bodyguards. Time and time again, Miharu muttered under her breath at how much she hated guards. She didn’t like them standing by a corner guarding her. She didn’t like having watch dogs around. Shin was an exception though… Even if he was a bodyguard, he wasn’t a watch dog. He was an undercover and he was her accomplice that’s why she allowed him to stay.
“I hate guards…” Miharu muttered loudly for the two men to hear, then took a straight shot to the crotch. It was a flawless shot.
“I hate uniformed men...” Miharu muttered again and took another shot. She was able to hit the same target she hit on her first shot, still on the crotch of the target.
“I hate being guarded…” Again, for the third time, a shot to the crotch.
“I hate watch dogs…” She spoke it with such hatred that the two uniformed men by her side seemed to have been a little intimidated by her mere presence. They both didn’t want to be around her but since it was an order from the Lt., they had no choice but to obey.
“Oi… Stop scaring them already. We know how you much you hate bodyguards.” With a good-natured smile, Shin finally appeared to appease Miharu. “Sorry… I had to sort out a few things with my superior. Anyway, from now on, we’re free to come here and use the facilities…” He excused for he knew that Miharu didn’t like being left in the care of people she didn’t know if she could trust.
Immediately, Miharu placed the gun down and looked at each of the two uniformed men menacingly. “Shin-kun, if it’s not much of a bother, can I practice on living targets?” She asked with her eyes not leaving the two uniformed men. Clearly, she was indicating if she could practice shooting them.
Shin merely chuckled. “Maybe later… How about you try shooting a 45 caliber hand gun next?”
The two uniformed men gulped at Shin’s reply.
To Be Continued…