"No. You're doing it all wrong. You have to aim for the vital spots."
Suou sighed in annoyance and stared at Hei. She had been doing target practice all day, and it was getting old.
"Why can't I just shoot it? The worst I'll do is slow it down. Then I can end it." she replied.
Hei shook his head. He looked up at the sky, frowning.
"You have to kill it as soon as possible. One bullet for one victim. Don't waste time. Plus, you're not even holding the rifle correctly. Here. Hold it like this." He said.
Hei walked behind Suou. He crouched down behind her and placed his hands on hers.
"If you are not balanced in your stance it will add movement to your rifle. This means keeping your body and rifle weight vertical and directly over your feet. If your posture is such that you are off balance in any direction, you are forcing your muscles to make the weight adjustment required to hold you in balance. This is an element that can add wobble in your rifle as you are trying to hold on target. The basis behind this posture is to make it the easiest for your mind and body to make the adjustments necessary to stay stable." he explained.
He pressed his finger down, doing the same to hers, and a gunshot went off.
"See?" he asked her. "Balance. Don't you feel more sure of yourself?"
Suou was too busy trying to slow down her breathing and not faint. Her face was bright red, and she felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.
"Yes, thank you very much." she said quickly. "I have to go do something."
She hurried off in the direction of their secret shack, pulling her jacket tighter. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. He had been so close to her. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and opened the shack door and went inside.
July looked up at her and blinked. She smiled and gave him a wave, but he just returned to his book. Suou sighed and made her way towards the kitchen. She froze when she heard the door creak open and Hei came in. He walked over to her.
"Why did you run off?" he asked her.
She shook her head.
"It was getting dark, and I'd figured I'd begin making dinner." she replied.
He raised his eyebrow and made his way over to the fridge.
"Okay. Although I can make it. You don't have to. You must be tired, it's been a long day." he said.
"I can at least help." she offered shyly.
"Okay." he said. "You can start by running to the corner store and getting me some dashi and miso. We're having miso soup tonight."
He gave her a wad of banknotes, and she blushed when their hands touched. She turned around and dashed out the door. She shivered as a gust of wind hit her, and folded her arms in a failed attempt to find heat and warmth. She sped up into a fast jog, and sighed in relief when the little convenience store came into view. She opened the door and went in. She went up and down the aisles until she found the right ingredients. She ambled over to the checkout counter and placed the items down.
"Is this all for you tonight miss? The store clerk asked her.
"Yep." she replied, grabbing the money from out of her pocket.
He took the money and put it in the cash register.
"Thanks for the purchase and have a good night." he handed her the groceries.
"Thanks." she replied and headed out the door.
It was snowier than it had been, and all she could see was white.
She stumbled blindly in the cold, hoping that she was going in the right direction. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream but a rough hand covered her mouth. She was pulled backwards into an alleyway.
"Lost?" her captor asked.
He pinned her against the wall, and she could feel his heat as he whispered into her ear.
"You have such krasivyye red hair." he said.
He twirled a lock her hair around his finger.
"So soft and so vibrant."
She tried to push him away, but he was much stronger than she thought. She felt her eyes water up, and she felt hot tears fall down her cheeks. Let me go, please. She willed. He began to unzip her jacket.
Suddenly, the weight on her was gone, and she could hear a muffled scream behind her. She turned around to see Hei on top of the man. He had his hands around his throat.
"Hey man, let go of me!" the stranger choked out.
He struggled helplessly against Hei. Suou watched in horror until the man stopped moving. She covered her mouth as a sob escaped her lips. Her legs gave out beneath her. Hei caught her before she hit the ground.
"It's okay Suou. It's over. You're safe."