Chapter Text
Vanta smirked. “Took you long enough.”
He had suspected it. It crossed his mind after Kanekuro brought it up. But he didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t have been true.
But it was true.
Again, Uncle was right all along.
When he came to terms with that, everything became clear, like he had found a loose thread, and everything untangled itself smoothly. Disgust crawled up his throat and lay bitter on his tongue. His nails dug into the palm, and he felt himself trembling. Luca eyed his watch, and if it weren’t projecting Vanta’s hologram, he would smash his ‘birthday present’ until it was dust.
“You knew I would wear it. You knew I wouldn’t take it off.” He laughed. It wasn’t a very nice sound.
“The first step depended on it,” Vanta said patiently, like a teacher explaining a math equation.
“Who else did you depend on? Ironmouse? Is it true that you struck a deal with her?”
Vanta’s expression soured. “Oh, Ironmouse, she’s a devious one.” He pinched his nose bridge. “Yes, I struck a deal with her. She had power, weapons, and information, and I needed all of those.”
Luca grinned, “How did that play out.”
Vanta breathed in. “I’ll admit that it didn’t end well. She had nothing to lose, nor did she actually want to help me. She only agreed so she could fan the flames for her own entertainment. But, in the end, she paid the price for her playfulness.” He said, referring to her death barely twenty-four hours ago.
“But Ironmouse wasn’t the only one I depended on to get rid of you. Take a guess, Boss?” Then he started smirking again. Much like the smirk that day at Akuma Castle when he admitted sneaking Lucy out of the Mansion. Had he betrayed him already on that day, which seemed like a lifetime ago?
“I never thought you would swoop so low to work with the Company,” Luca said cooly, crossing his arms.
He chuckled. Normally, it was a joyous sound, but Luca wanted to tear that laugh from his throat. “You overestimate me, Boss. We have no formal agreement. I simply have a friend on the inside and slipped another one in to give them a few clues as to the whereabouts of their long-lost enemy.”
It was getting very hard not to smash the hologram into smithereens. “You sold Mr. Sengoku out, even though you knew it would cost him his life?”
“I needed to prove to them that Wilson was reliable and valuable. Otherwise, the Company would have killed him.” He replied so matter-of-a-factly as if saying plants needed to be watered.
Luca was at a loss for words. He blinked hard at Vanta, really looked at him. Was that cold look in his purple eyes always there?
“So you’re okay with sacrificing lives now? A man who only wanted to support his family. And putting your own friends in danger?”
“I’m not.”
“Then what about Seraph?”
A flash of remorse flickered across Vanta’s face before he quickly slipped into a blank expression. Luca felt a twinge of relief. He still has some humanity left in him. “I never intended to sacrifice any of my men. Seraph was only meant to deliver the invitation, but when he saw Kanekuro, he just snapped. I was waiting for him to leave with me when I heard the gunshots. And besides, who was the one that put that dagger into his neck?”
“I may have killed him, but don’t you dare say you had no part in it. He’s dead as a result of your plan. And the fifteen people who didn’t return to the Mansion because you let the Company sabotage us. What of them?”
“I had Horishibe sneak them out afterwards.”
“Three of them died! What happened to you, Vanta? What happened to the man who gained scars to save every one of our men? What happened to the man who swore to protect the Kaneshiros even if it cost him his life? Do you even remember the vow you made to us when we assigned you to be Lucy’s bodyguard—”
A horrible realization entered his mind. He felt something akin to a black hole open in his stomach.
“Lucy. You’ve been using her too.”
The smile on Vanta’s face faded. “No, I—”
“Bringing Lucy to see me at the Akuma Clan was just an excuse, wasn’t it? You didn’t actually care about her or me. You just wanted to confirm the information about the transaction with Sengoku was leaked successfully. Then you used Lucy to come to the office so no one would suspect you for staying after working hours.”
“I wasn’t using her.” Vanta snapped.
“Bullshit.” Luca snapped back. In the hologram, Vanta reeled back. “You knew that by bringing her to Uncle, he would send the guards away with her. You were using her, putting her in danger. What if Uncle didn’t send her away in time? What if she got caught in the crossfire? She cared for you so deeply, yet you never gave two shits about her.”
Vanta was fuming. “Let’s get one thing straight. I may no longer care for you but I cared about Lucy. I cared about her more than you and the rest of your dammed family. I cared enough to talk to her every day and comfort her when she was crying. I cared enough to risk my job to sneak her out of the Mansion so she wouldn’t rot in there. I cared enough that I forgo my chance to kill you at the party so she wouldn’t have to watch you die in front of her. So don’t you dare say that I never gave two shits about her.”
Luca felt himself calm down a bit at the burning look in Vanta’s eyes. What an ironic statement it is. Anger, it may be, but at least it was warm and recognizable. So not everything was fake, that’s good at least. But that wasn’t enough to squash the hurt out of his voice.
“Then what about me? I defended you in front of Uncle. I vouched for you. I thought of you as a friend. Six years, Vanta, six! How could you just throw that all away? Betray the Kaneshiro Mafia that raised you?”
“I can. And I did. And you know why? You’re the one who betrayed the mafia with your selfish decisions, Boss. You betrayed us. You betrayed me.”
Irritation rushed up his spine and fire to his tongue. “Oh, you sound just like Uncle. What do you know about my “selfish decisions? Huh Vantacrow?”
“Oh, I know a lot. Like how you got my parents killed.”
Luca froze. He swore his heart dropped from his ribcage.
“Vanta, your parents. That wasn’t my fault—”
“Not your fault, my ass. Who was the reason that Krystallo Kaneshiro led a suicide mission, with my parents by his side? Who was the one who caused the fall of the Kaneshiro Mafia, leaving hundreds of people like me orphaned with nowhere to go? You did. To us.”
Vanta’s hologram switched to someone else. A man with orange hair that faded to aqua, then to a woman with white wispy hair. A blonde with blue highlights. It kept flickering from person to person. Luca lost count of the 'victims' after twenty. They were all familiar and strikingly young, yet Luca couldn’t put a name to it, as usual. And he felt pathetic.
“You thought you could keep it from me. From all of us? Were you planning to keep the reason for Plan Libertà a secret forever, Boss?”
His words were falling on Luca’s head like bricks. He could scarcely take them in. The raw, honest hatred in them made him sound like what Uncle spat at him last night. His emotions were like waves, each time his anger spilt at the banks, hurt would smack over them and wash across the surface, then a sheet of shock would roll over those waves. He wasn’t sure how to feel.
“No. No! I didn’t! Plan Libertà had and always was to free us.”
Vanta wasn’t confused as to how he felt. The fury was clear on his face. “The Kaneshiro Mafia? Or the Kaneshiros? You say that it’s for us, but I don’t think you give two shits about us. Why was it only Kanekuro that made it out alive with you? Why did all the Kaneshiros in the Inner Circle get away scot-free except for Krystallo? Hell, let me cite a more recent example. Who did you choose last night, your own people—Lucy, Vox, me? Or that Company agent?
If his heart had dropped from his ribcage previously, now someone had cut it by the strings and tossed it into a pit.
“You disappeared. And leave him out of this.” His heart was racing from whatever pit it was in. Cold terror rushed to his ears, and they burned.
“But the fact remains that you chose him over the mafia. All these years, you haven’t learnt shit. You chose to be selfish and other people pay the price of it. That’s why we will never succeed in Plan Libertà. My parents had to die for your mistake. Countless other people, too, people I loved. And here you are, alive. Playing with your little friend. Plan Libertà—freedom? Do you think you deserve that? You don’t. None of you Kaneshiros do.”
The anger in his eyes, the hurt, the pain. Luca felt he would drown in those purple irises.
Shu had the same look in his eyes.
“Give me the position of Boss, Luca. I will finish Plan Libertà for us. This is my final mercy to you for what we had in those six years. Don’t make me kill you.”
Luca blinked a few times. He sucked in a deep breath and slowly breathed out. He stared at the ground. “Fine, I’ll admit it. Plan Libertà was started because of me”
Luca raised his head and looked Vanta in the face. “That is why I will not let some traitorous son of a bitch take hold of Father’s legacy.”
“I know I’m a shit leader. I’m not fit to lead, I never was and I never will. But Father gave his life for me so that I had a chance to be free, so I will finish Plan Libertà myself before I take my last breath.”
Silence. A soft relief twinkled in his eyes, and then he smiled.
“I knew you would say that. Your emotions were always so reliable.”
“You know, I was surprised when the Company agent failed to kill you twice. Then, yesterday, I made a small discovery. Originally, I only needed to lure that infamous Company assassin to you. It turns out it should be the opposite. It’s so simple. I just need to lure you to the Company.” He averted his gaze to the window.
What is he on about?
Oh no.
Shu!
Luca rushed to the windows and pressed himself against them. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Shu get on his motorcycle and zoom off.
“You keep him out of this!” Luca roared.
“It’s too late. He’s already on his way. Do you want the coordinates or not.” He smiled. The bastard smiled.
“Give it to me.”
Shu circled the abandoned VSF car. It was empty, as expected. They even left the door hanging open. The tracker ended here; now, the real tracking was up to him.
The tracker had led him to the desolate streets of the KR District. Once a humble neighbourhood, it had become a ghost town after merging with the EN District. The few remaining residents had deserted the area, favouring the more modern and vibrant EN District. Now, it lay abandoned and forlorn, resembling the abandoned area he had encountered Luca—
Shu shook himself and desperately looked for any distraction. He focused intently on the dark entrance of the metro station. The monitor that displayed the station number had long gone dark. The gate was partially pulled down, creating a narrow space between the gate and the ground that maybe, just maybe, someone of average height and lean build could slip through. When Shu moved closer, he observed the dust on the stone ground had been disturbed recently. He stared hard through the gaps in the gate.
Logically thinking, he should wait for Sonny. The Sorcerer was a sniper; he would be disadvantaged if he couldn’t attack from afar. He was also alone, and judging by the faint footprints, Mr. Wilson was not alone. He checked Sonny’s position. Thirty-six kilometres away, the numbers ticking down but not fast enough. There was no time to play safe, knowing this slippery mafia associate; once the trail ran cold, there was no way they could catch him again. Shu crawled underneath the gate and trekked down the stairs.
The station was not as abandoned as he thought. It was a big station with multiple train tracks and platforms between them. Lights still flickered with what electricity was left. In the distance, He heard the rumbling of an incoming train. The lights flashed from the tunnels and sped past him, bringing along cold air. The train passed, exposing the two men on the opposite platform.
Shu’s breath hitched. One of them was familiar—blonde with sky blue eyes, Wilson. He looked slightly more ragged than the last time Shu saw him, but his blue eyes were more vigilant than ever. He scowled when they made eye contact. Next to him was someone vaguely familiar. A tall man with jagged scars raked across his face.
“Now!” The scarred man next to Wilson yelled. Shu whirled around and saw two people swiftly pulling the gate down behind him. The exit was blocked. The loud clang of metal against stone was grimly final. Men appeared out of nowhere, all with silver pistols, either in their hands or strapped to their belts. He was surrounded.
The scarred man paced around the outer edge of the circle they created. “You’re outnumbered. Put down your weapons and stand down if you want things to be easier.”
“Easier for who?” Shu replied, placing a hand on the strap of his sniper. Immediately, two more silver pistols pointed at him in a fury of clicks.
“Easier for both of us, Company Agent.” He continued. “Snipers aren’t built for close combat. You’re at a disadvantage, and you know it. So lower your weapon, and we won’t have to break your ribs.” He stepped forward from the circle and into the flickering light. His face was still like a statue, and his scars looked like cracks across the marble.
The lights flickered above them as the Sorcerer reached for the strap of the sniper gun slung across his back. He grasped it firmly, feeling the coarse texture of the material against his fingers, and slowly manoeuvred it over his head. As the strap slipped onto his shoulder, the heavy weight of the weapon pulled the strap taut, causing it to slide down his arm and rest heavily in his palm.
The guns pointed at him followed his movements acutely. A subtle smile, barely a flicker of expression, creased the scarred man’s face. He advanced cautiously yet confidently, with a hand outstretched in a silent command. Reluctantly, the Sorcerer held it out.
The sniper gun was hovering over the scarred man’s hand when the Sorcerer dropped to the ground to sweep a leg at their ankle. The scarred man’s eyes widened when his world was tipped on its axis, and he fell flat on his back. Panicked cries broke out, along with gunshots. Shu held his sniper gun and delivered a quick blow to the scarred man’s head. The sniper gun made contact with human flesh, but he missed and only hit the shoulder to dodge a bullet. Somewhere in the crowd, Wilson was screaming, “Don’t shoot. You’ll hit Vanta.”
There was a brief pause of bullets. The Sorcerer darted towards a slight gap between the radicals. One of them grabbed Shu by the arm and yanked him back into the circle. Shu used the momentum, grabbed their arm, and dropped to the ground in a backward roll. He kicked them in the stomach and sent them flying into the others.
“Don’t let him get away!”
Hastily, he hooped the sniper gun over his head and tried to jump onto the other platform. Someone tackled him, and he tripped, both of them falling onto the deep train tracks painfully. More radicals spilt onto the railway like wolves trying to tear him to shreds. Some stood above on the platform, guns raised but hesitant to shoot one of their own.
“Horishibe?” Shu gasped when he recognised the face who was trying to pin him down. Horishibe clapped a hand on Shu’s mouth and smiled through gritted teeth, “Don’t tell Nina, alright?”
Shu bit down hard, tasting red copper on his tongue. Horishibe pulled back, howling in pain, followed by a grunt when the Sorcerer got him off with a punch to the nose. He scampered to his feet, kicking up gravel. He picked up a fistful and threw it at two men who came at him. They shut their eyes instinctively and tripped over the railways. Shu ran and jumped as high as he could and onto the opposite platform. He landed on his stomach and rolled out of the way as gunshots sounded after him.
Someone was running towards him. The Sorcerer felt a grip on his shoulders. He turned to combat it. But in an impressive display of flexibility, the attacker used the momentum to swing their legs around him until they faced each other. Wilson, Shu realized as the blonde locked his legs around his neck in a scissor kick and repeatedly hit Shu’s head. Each hit hurt like a book was dropping on him, and it was getting hard to breathe. A few more blows, and he might pass out. Shu thrust forward, bending his entire body violently. The momentum was enough to throw Wilson to the ground but not enough to break his grip around Shu’s neck. Pulling Shu down to his knees in the process.
Before Wilson could utter a groan, Shu grabbed his neck with both hands. Someone screamed Wilson’s name. The men were about to leap to their platform, but at that moment, the sound of an incoming train howled. They scrambled out of the tracks just as the train cut across them, leaving Shu and Wilson alone.
The train sped past next to them, unending. Its cold wind, cutting across, blew hair into Shu’s eyes. The blonde’s brows knitted as his blue eyes glared at Shu like a feral cat, hands trying to pry Shu’s fingers off. He could easily let go and kick him away, but his legs persistently remained clamped around the Sorcerer’s throat, choking them both. Shu gripped tighter, and Wilson clamped down harder. Wilson’s face was turning red. Shu, too, could feel the heat rising to his face as the air in him depleted, but not as fast as Wilson. With the train in the way, his friends won’t be able to save him.
“Let go.” Shu choked out.
“N-no.” Wilson gasped. He was shaking now, tears building on the edge of his eyes. Just a few more seconds, then he’ll be dead.
He must have realized that. Because his jaw stopped clenching, and his knitted brows smoothed out. His round, sky-blue eyes grew wider and wider.
“V-vanta.” Wilson cried out, or at least tried to. It was more of a whimper than anything.
Perhaps it was his blonde hair. Maybe it was the helplessness reflected in his eyes. Or it could have been the way he cried out—weakly, desperately. For a moment, the neck he clutched was adorned with tattoos that curled around it. The eyes, a muted shade of wisteria, seemed to plead for help.
“Shu, please,” Luca begged.
He let go quickly as if Wilson’s neck was hot metal. And at that moment, the end of the train passed. A foot kicked his shoulder and knocked him to the floor. Wilson finally let go, crawling away, gasping and coughing.
Shu rolled away when the punch came flying for his face. It was the scarred man from before. He was fast. Just as Shu rolled away onto all fours, he grabbed the strap of his sniper gun and yanked it. “Come help!” He roared to the men scampering over the train tracks. The strap pulled upwards, catching Shu’s neck painfully. His hands instinctively rushed to find the release buckle. Right as the strap snapped loose, he hastily tried to get onto his feet when a weight from a different man slammed down on him. The impact sent a shock through his body, drawing out a strangled sound from Shu. More hands held him still as they tied ropes around his wrists and ankles.
He was forcefully hauled to sit against the grimey walls when they were done. Shu shook the hair from his face, breathing heavily, watching the shoes of the radicals pace around him, whispering things and panting.
“Watch him.” The scarred man spat, walking away from the group. From between the many legs, Shu saw him approach Wilson, who was sitting on the side. He crouched down next to the blonde.
“Breathe. Breathe, you idiot.” Shu vaguely heard him say.
“What took you so long?” Wilson said between breaths.
“There was a fucking train in the way. That’s why.” He smacked Wilson on the shoulder. “Don’t go dying off like that. And being choked to death, of all things. Zali would be so disappointed. Horishibe?”
“Nose’s broken, I think. But I can still fight. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” He grinned, blood trickling down his lips.
He patted him on the back, “I’ll take your word for it. ”
He moved slowly through the group, pausing to check on each member with the concern of a doting brother. Shu was left taken aback by the unexpected tenderness in his tone, which made him even more taken aback when the scarred man finished speaking with the radical who was watching him; he whirled around and slammed a foot into Shu’s chest.
There was a frightening crack that rang in his chest. He coughed, and his chest pulled at him painfully as he did so. Clenching his teeth, he tried to get back upright, but his body crumpled onto the floor uselessly.
He crouched down to meet Shu at eye level, his strong hands gripping Shu by the collar and pulling him upright. Leaning against the wall, Shu coughed a few more times, the sound echoing in the still air, before finally raising his head to meet the man’s gaze. His eyes locked onto the man’s, a rich magenta purple, much like his own. He stared at Shu with an intensity that was surprisingly not hostility, but rather, searching.
As Shu returned the man’s steady gaze, he felt a flicker of empathy beneath the pain of his broken ribs. He observed the sharp contours of the man’s face, marked with jagged scars on his dark skin. One from the left side of his jaw to the bridge of his nose, the other peeking from under short dirty-blonde hair. Dark shadows rimmed his eyes, likely from exhaustion. It struck Shu that this person, despite the ragged features, hard muscles and the stony look in his eyes, was scarcely older than he was—perhaps just a few years.
They were children when they joined the mafia.
“You were there last night. With Luca.” Shu said.
“Ah, so you remember me.”
“Are you his friend?”
“No.” He said bluntly.
“What are looking for?” Shu asked.
He was still staring, “I’m trying to see what’s so special about you.”
“There’s nothing special about me.”
“No, there must be something special about you.” He said it so firmly as if he were stating a fact. “So special to Boss that he was willing to sacrifice everything for you.”
The crowd around him huddled closer with curiosity. Shu stiffened. A heavy lump gathered in his throat. “I’m not special to him. I’m nothing to him.”
“Nothing to him?” He laughed. His cackling echoed through the abandoned station like a flock of cawing crows. “Boss, after everything you’ve done for him. He thinks he’s ‘nothing’.” He went into a fit of laughter again.
“Sorry to disappoint you, buddy, but you are special. Special enough that Luca sacrificed the lives of countless men and women, even his own family.”
Shu blinked and he processed those words. “You’re lying. He left me alone the moment he could. You were there last night, right? Then you saw him abandon me.”
“That’s not what I saw.”
“Luca! Wake up.”
Someone was slapping his face, and Luca jerked awake.
Why was he on the ground? He was awake a moment ago trying to stop Shu from—
Shu!
He sat up, and sharp pain spiked up his arm like electricity. He quickly found the source—a bloodied area of ripped cloth on his forehand where the bullet had grazed him. He was lucky that it didn’t penetrate his flesh, but it still hurt like hell. He blinked past the white-hot sheen of pain and saw Shu lying right beside him, eyes closed.
“Shu?” Luca shook him gently. His head lolled to the side limply.
“Luca. We have to go before he wakes up. Your arm…” Vox called, crouching down next to them. Luca grabbed him by the vest.
“What did you do to him?” The mafia boss demanded. Luca’s grip tightened on Vox’s vest as he rose to his feet, pulling Vox up with him. Vox blinked in surprise, his eyes were a pale pink colour instead of their usual yellow, and his pupils were slits like a needle. They were so…inhuman. Luca almost didn’t recognize him for a moment.
Vox set a hand on Luca’s grip. “I commanded him to sleep, that’s all. He’ll wake up in an hour or two. Calm down, Luca.”
The vibration of his voice oddly soothed him, like the feeling of a weighted blanket. He let go of Vox’s vest.
“Sorry. I forgot you could do that.”
Vox smiled warmly. “It’s okay. I’d like it if you keep forgetting.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, the pink in his eyes had faded back into the usual specks. His eyes were back to the usual diamond yellow. His irises were no longer slit but, round, human.
“Why are you here? Weren’t you with Lucy? Lucy. Lucy! Where is she?”
”I brought her to the driver. She’s taking her back to the Kaneshiro Mansion.” Vox said reassuringly.
”You should have gone with her.”
“I couldn’t leave you behind! Not when you were in more danger than all of us.” He glared at Shu disapprovingly. “Quickly, we have to leave. Have you seen Vanta?”
Luca shook his head. “I don’t think he’s dead, but something happened to him.”
Vox clicked his tongue. “Shit. We don’t have time to search for him. Especially you.” He eyed the blood dripping down Luca’s fingers. Vox looked around and tugged at Luca’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Luca reeled back. “We can’t leave him here.”
“We’ll come back for Vanta.”
“We can’t leave Shu here.”
“Him?” Vox said incredulously, pointing at Shu. “You know him?”
“Yes. We can’t leave him here.”
“He tried to kill you!”
”He wasn’t.” Luca crouched down to put a hand on Shu while still facing Vox. “He was just trying to protect me. I would be dead if weren’t for him.”
”He’s a Company agent.”
“He’s more than that.” So much more.
Vox was about to open his mouth but paused midway. He held his chin thoughtfully, looking at Shu with newfound interest. “Interesting.” He muttered mostly to himself. Then frowned, “Are you suggesting that we bring him with us?”
“No. There’s likely a tracker on him somewhere. It’ll put all of us in danger.“
“Us. Not him. The Company will get to him with the tracker. They’re probably on the way already.”
“But I can’t just leave him here. I won’t.”
“Then what are you gonna do?”
Luca bit his lip. He looked at Shu. The moon shone down on his face, shiny with sweat. His long lashes cast shadows across his cheeks.
“I have an idea.”
-
Luca picked up the Shu’s fallen sniper and shoved it into Vox’s hands. Vox almost dropped it and held it away from him like it was a rotten wood log.
“Luca. No offense but this type of stuff wasn’t part of our agreement.”
“I know. But you knew what you were getting into when the person you’re working with is me.” Luca ripped off a piece of cloth from his tailored jacket. He could hear his tailor crying as he tied the fabric around his bleeding arm.
“I don’t know what possessed me back then to work with a maniac.” Vox smiled weakly, then frowned when he saw Luca approaching Shu. “I’ll carry him, you carry this.”
”No it’s fine.” Luca hoisted Shu into his arms. He winced as Shu’s weight leaned into his injured arm but was able to keep his movements as smooth and delicate as possible, fearing roughness would wake or hurt him. He smelled of hot iron and sweat. They both did. His body was warm. Luca could feel it radiating underneath the black clothing, the same warmth as the days under the hot sun. Shu’s head rested against his chest. Luca wondered if he could hear his heartbeat.
“You only sent him to sleep?” Luca asked Vox again while keeping his gaze fixed on Shu, both observing the deep frown etched on Shu’s brows. He looked like he was experiencing a nightmare.
“Yes,” Vox promised.
”Okay. Let’s go.”
The path down the spiral staircase that connected the ballroom and the garden was a quiet one, a stark contrast to the lively party-then disaster earlier. The whole building was abandoned as expected. There was no one left except—
Vox suddenly signalled to stop midway down the stairs. “They’re still there. Just as we expected.” He whispered without turning back.
Luca prickled his ears and focused hard toward the direction of the dimly lit doorway at the foot of the stairs. But he could hear nothing except their breathing. Confused, he looked to Vox. He was incredibly still, eyes wide and staring at the doorway intensely as if he could see through the walls.
“They’re losing blood,” Vox said after another moment.
“Are you sure that’s not me?”
“Quite sure.” He said and started walking again. Luca checked on Shu, he was still sleeping. Good. He adjusted his grip on Shu and followed.
Then, he heard it—the screeching sound of metal wire scraping against marble and the sounds of struggling.
Luca reached for Shu’s sniper gun. But Vox held away. “Are you sure we shouldn’t turn back right now?” He asked, dead serious.
“He’s in danger. We have to.”
“He’s not in danger. We are, Luca. You are trying to kill yourself, and I can’t have that.”
Luca swallowed. “I can’t leave him here.”
“Why?”
“Because I did it once before. And I’m not going to do it again.” He was acutely aware of Shu’s warm body against him more than ever. His breathing. His heartbeat. How could he could have left this all behind? Never. Never again.
The Akuma clan leader didn’t say anything. Until, with a heavy sigh, he walked around Luca and unbuckled the strap of the sniper rifle. “I’ll stay hidden here and use my voice if I have to. But you must know it takes time to take effect. You will die if I’m not fast enough.” He strapped it on, looping one side under his arm and the other over the shoulder.
“Now go before I regret my decision even more.”
The shadows of the tall pillars provided precious refuge. Luca cautiously made his way closer, using the sounds the assassin was making to mask his footsteps. Soon, he was close enough to see them. There they were. Tangled in wires which attached them to the railings. They struggled and tried to stand; viscous drops of deep crimson oozed from their hands, which gripped the wire, pooling like dark rubies on the polished marble floor. The metal screeched, and Luca wanted to cover his ears. Their leg slipped, and they collapsed to the ground. They were tired, and it allowed Luca some silence to prepare.
Luca held Shu to his chest as tight as his injured arm allowed him. The first time he’s held in him eleven years, two months, sixteen days, six hours. Oh, how his friend had grown. His long lashes had gotten longer since he was a child, now sharper at the edges but still soft. So has his hair. Never in a million years did he imagine his friend growing it out. His skin, too, was paler compared to how Luca remembered him.
Yet, he felt warm, like stones baked under the hot sun, just as Luca remembered. He didn’t even need to feel him, just being in the same room as Shu filled an ache within Luca, replaced it with a swell of warmth. They’ve been separated for so long. The warmth eased the anxiety that clenched in his chest, and the tension in his shoulders gradually melted away. For the first time in a long while, he felt relaxed—absurdly so, considering he had just narrowly escaped death and was only a few meters away from an angry assassin. He closed his eyes, longing to nuzzle into Shu’s hair and inhale the crisp scent of rain. Everything in him urged him to take Shu and run far, far away. When Shu woke up, Luca would embrace him, share everything, and never let go of his warm hand again.
“Of course, I remember you, Shu Yamino,” Luca whispered. His breath blew against Shu’s hair and slid magenta and black strands over his ear.
“I’m sure you have a lot to say to me. I know that you must be confused about everything that’s going on. Believe me, I have no idea what the hell I’m doing too. All I know is you can’t be a part of all this. I can’t have you pay for my mistakes. Not again, alright? You’re the most important person in my life, Shu. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me going. Just wait a bit longer, alright? Give me just a bit more time. When all this is over, I’ll tell you everything. I just hope that you can forgive me.”
He opened his eyes, hoping that Shu would respond, even though he knew he wouldn’t. He yearned to gaze into Shu’s beautiful violet eyes one last time, but they remained closed. His lips parted slightly as he exhaled slow, measured breaths.
Luca took a deep breath. He hoisted Shu higher and walked out of the shade of the pillars. Immediately, an eerie stillness enveloped him. The assassin, caught in the moment, became rigid. The unblinking gaze of the demon mask locked onto him. Its hollow eyes sent a shiver through him. When he stepped closer, they flinched. The wire screeched slightly.
“Careful, there, Company agent. I need you alive,” Luca said coolly.
They stilled. From the body language alone, Luca could tell they were shocked.
“Thought changing up that emblem of yours a bit could fool everyone, didn’t you? Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m more familiar with that emblem’s history than you think.”
“I’m giving you two options. One, I walk away. And you’ll be left here pathetically waiting for help. Failing your mission.”
The Company agent lunged forward. But the metal wires stopped them quickly. Even so, Luca backed away instinctively and held onto Shu tighter. But he kept his voice stern.
“Two, I’ll free you. And you’ll save your colleague here.” He glanced quickly at Shu.
“You know your supervisor values his life more than my head. Imagine her disappointment when her best agent goes missing, or worse, dies from his injuries. And it’ll be your fault.” The company agent turned their head towards the blood on Shu’s back where it made contact with Luca’s injured arm. He felt his blood trickle down, and a droplet of red splattered on the ground.
It must have looked convincing because the company agent responded with one last attempt at a struggle, then went lax. Their chest heaved with a defeated sigh.
Luca got onto one knee and slowly lowered Shu onto the ground. The loss of warmth was unbearable, it felt as if a gust of cold wind blew at him. Shu’s hair pooled around him when Luca lowered it last. His brow furrowed suddenly and his breath hitched, but he stayed asleep.
I’ll be back. I promise. I swear.
Using every strength left in his body, Luca tore his gaze away from his friend and walked to a nearby pillar, where he was pinned to not even half an hour ago. The knife was still lodged in the wall, with bits of his coat hanging onto it. He pulled it out with a grunt. He looked around and found Shu’s dagger lying further away. While he tucked the dagger under his vest, he caught Vox’s gleaming yellow eyes in the distance.
Finally he stood in front of the company agent. They looked at him unflinchingly, the flat demon eyes boring into purples. “Take him away and leave. Save him to redeem yourself if you don’t want to further disappoint your supervisor.” He tossed the knife and ran back to where he came from. The knife slid across the marble and halted at the foot of the assassin.
When he ran past a window, Vox suddenly reached out an arm and pulled him behind the curtains. Luca almost startled. He put a finger onto his lips, flat, pink eyes unblinking. They watched from behind the curtains, as the Company agent swiftly cut themselves free from the metal wire. They scanned the surroundings for a few more moments before crouching next to Shu to check his pulse. The masked face looked around again and muttered something before hauling Shu over their back and running off into the gloomy corridors.
Luca stared at the corridor long after they had gone, even when Vox pulled him away, he looked back as he finally left that dreaded ballroom.
Vanta watched from the rafters as the two men hurriedly left. Holding particularly still when Vox went past underneath him. That demon had the hearing of cats, he was grateful the commotion from earlier was enough of a distraction that no one noticed him slipping away and climbing up onto the rafters.
The plan was foiled. They won’t be able to kill Boss using Ironmouse, her body lay just a floor away. By the sounds of it, his cover hasn’t been blown, but they’ll figure it out soon. Boss probably won’t, but Kanekuro will. He already suspected him since the failed assassination attempt at the Mansion, now that Lucy was hurt, the Lieutenant will want his head either way.
Those doors were closed, heck firmly shut in his face, but a new one had opened.
“Horeshibe,” He called on his phone.
“Is it time?”
“Not quite. There’s a change of plans. Mind helping me look into someone named ‘Shu.’ for me?”
-
Fulgur checked the tracker again. Shu’s red dot was approaching him. It was about twenty meters away, he should be out of the clear now, so why won’t he respond?
Fulgur tried again. “Sorcerer, come in.”
No response. The red dot stopped moving for a moment, then continued on. Eventually, when it was only ten meters away, it stopped.
Fulgur got out of the van. “Shu. Are you there?” Fulgur called.
He heard footsteps, but the red dot remained still.
Something’s wrong.
Weary, he activated the repulsor beams on his robotic arms, the mechanical parts humming against his skin with a soft blue light between the red metal.
“Come out. Or I’ll blast you with a high-density muon beam.” That was a lie; he wasn’t allowed to use them unless the sonic beams weren’t enough. They were usually enough.
Then, a distant clang of something crashing to the ground. Fulgur followed the sound cautiously, coming to an empty street.
A trash can had been knocked over, the litter scattered across the ground as the can rolled slightly. Nearby was a lap post. Leaning against that lap post—
“Shu!”
He shut off the weapons on his robotic arms. The repulsor folded under the metal cover neatly before he dropped to his knees to reach for his friend. He grabbed Shu’s wrist with one hand, and the heartbeat sensor in his robotic palm got to work. He hovered his other hand over Shu’s chest and torsel to scan for injuries. He cursed the sensor for being so slow; if only he could feel it through the metal, it would have been much easier to check for a pulse.
“Nina! Come in. It’s Shu! He’s unconscious. And there’s blood on him.”
Nina was speaking before he finished his sentence. For once, her voice was frantic, “Bring him back. Now.”
Shu felt his breathing quicken, yet it felt like no air was going into his lungs. Shu sucked in a gasp of air. He exhaled slowly, willing his racing mind to slow down.
“You’re lying. You’re lying.” He said in shuddering breaths. Why can’t he breathe?
The scarred man chucked, amused, “Why would I lie? I can’t make this shit up even if I tried.
“I still don’t understand. What do you want from me? You…”
Shu’s breath hitched. “You’re using me to get to him?”
“You are certainly more clever than him.”
“He won’t come. I yelled at him. I screamed at him. I pushed him away. He doesn’t care for me anymore.”
“The tracker says otherwise. He’s almost here.”
No, no, no!
“Boss is a lot of things, and unpredictable is one of them. But I can always rely on his emotions. And just listen to how he speaks to you.” He played the recording on his phone again.
“But I can’t just leave him here. I won’t.” Luca’s voice sounded.
“Stop playing it.”
I called him a liar.
“I did it once before. And I’m not going to do it again.” Luca said fiercely.
“Turn it off!”
I yelled at you for something you never did.
“You’re the most important person in my life, Shu. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me going.”
I wanted to forget about you.
Luca’s face swam into his mind. Shu shook himself, desperately trying to dispel the image, but it was like trying to stop waves from reaching the sand. Shu hated it. He hated how Luca wore his heart on his sleeve, the hurt on his face, in his eyes as he just let himself be lashed with each horrible word that came out of Shu’s mouth. Could he not even put on a stony face for his own sake? For Shu’s sake? Even after all this time, how does he lay his heart out bare and let Shu walk all over it like dirt in a garden?
So why? Why are you still coming? You’ll get yourself killed. Shu thought furiously.
Killed…huh.
A small realization popped into his head. I’m going to get Luca killed.
Where’s your anger, Shu? The sweet voice asked.
“Nina!” The Sorcerer whispered into his transmitter.
“Yes, honey?”
“Permission to kill?”
“Granted.”
Shu slipped out the dagger from underneath his sleeve.
The scarred man was barking orders, “Wilson, get the trap ready. Everyone to your stations. Usami, wait for Boss at the gate. Okay, chop, chop! We don’t have much time.”
A man with orange hair that faded to aqua at the tips, Usami, he presumed, walked towards the gate from which Shu entered.
Shu felt the rope snap around his wrist.
One moment, Usami was walking. The next moment, he had a dagger in his heart.
The Sorcerer pulled the dagger out and took the silver pistol off the man’s belt. As Usami’s body slumped to the ground, there was a clamour of panicked shrieks and yells. Standing in front of the gate, the Sorcerer breathed in the metallic scent of blood.
“Usami, Usami! He killed Usami!” Someone stammered.
“Vanta, what do we do?”
“What are our orders?”
All heads turned to the scarred man, who finally seemed to have snapped whatever haze of surprise that had consumed him. His was expressionless but had gone very pale.
“Plan remains unchanged. Wilson, go get Boss—”
“I won’t let you.” Shu interjected hoarsely, “I won’t let you hurt him.”
“Be level-headed now, Company Agent. You’re a sniper. Being this close will only get you killed,” The scarred man said, raising out a hand as if trying to calm a feral animal.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I was trained as an assassin first. The only way anyone is leaving here is through hell!”
Luca backed away from a puddle of blood forming from a disembowelled body. The air was thick with the metallic taste of the red liquid. It was everywhere, oozing from a slit neck, a slashed chest, and a gunshot wound in the forehead. It poured onto the ground and splashed onto the walls, staining the surrounding bodies. The radicals, all twenty or thirty of them, strewn over the tracks and gravel. Dead.
Shu stood alone under the flickering lights, one arm outstretched, holding a radical by the neck. His jacket had been torn into shreds that Luca could barely tell what was what, exposing pale and muscular arms if it weren’t for the blood they were doused in. Whether the blood was Shu’s or the radicals’, Luca could not tell. Luca begged it was the latter. Shu was drenched in so much of it, stained in more crimson than any of the bodies here.
Vanta was shuffling pathetically towards the stairway, clutching a bloody arm. Shu noticed this. Nonchalantly, he threw the radical he was holding to the ground. Without taking his gaze off Vanta, he kicked up his sniper gun, which was lying on the ground, into his arms and shot.
Bang.
There was no dramatic death, no last words, or dignity given to him. Vanta just fell with a quiet thud and moved no more.
“Shu…” Luca called hoarsely.
Shu perked up. He turned gradually to face him.
“Don’t move. I’ll come to you.” Luca tried his best to walk around the bodies, fumbling his way over to Shu. Luca stopped about a meter away, not being able to go farther by the barrier of dead bodies layered over each other.
Luca stretched out a hand. “Take my hand. I’ll get you out of here.”
Shu moved numbly. He blinked twice, studying the outstretched hand. Then, he gingerly lifted his hand towards Luca’s.
Before their fingers touched, Shu halted.
“Shu, what’s wrong?”
Shu looked at his hand, dripping with blood, knuckles bruised to splotches of purple, then at Luca’s clean palm.
There was a small beep, then a static voice that sounded from Shu’s earpiece, “Nina to Sorcerer. Do you read me?”
Luca heard his teeth clamp down with an audible click. Fuck. Come on! Not now.
Shu didn’t move and blinked twice as if he was debating heavily whether to answer or not.
“Shu Yamino, leave it, please,” Luca begged his friend. He tried to lean forward even more, reaching.
Shu’s eyes flickered to Luca’s desperate eyes, to his outstretched hand, then again, back to his own bloodied hand.
Shu, please…
Luca felt his chest fall when Shu retracted his hand, slowly reaching for his earpiece.
“Yes?” Shu’s voice was barely higher than a whisper. His voice was so monotone, like all the life had left it.
“Calmed down finally? Can I have a status update?”
“Twenty-four targets eliminated. Including the leader.”
“Very good. Any survivors?”
At this question, Luca felt his body tense.
Electric violet eyes locked onto him. They looked tired, hollow, unfeeling. Luca searched for any trace of emotion deeper within the violets, but all they reflected was his pair of muted purples, as if not letting Luca reach further.
Is he—
Is Shu gonna—
After a long few seconds, Shu finally looked away.
“No, all targets eliminated.” He whispered.
The static voice hummed with satisfaction, “Well done. Are you hurt?”
“Just a few scratches.”
“You’d better have Millie check up on injuries before I let you go. Sonny’s almost here. He’ll pick you up.”
“All right. I’ll come now.” And with a static beep. The call ended.
Shu shuffled slowly on his legs. “People are going to be here soon. You have to leave.” He said, his voice very quiet. He turned around and started walking. His boots left a red print on the gravel with each step.
“Shu, wait.” Luca tripped over a leg, almost falling onto a corpse. “Wait, please.” Please.
“Goodbye, Luca,” Shu said softly.
The last traces of his silhouette melted into the shadows. Gone.
And Luca was all alone again.