Chapter 31: Decisions Decisions

Megumi kept a close eye on Hayata as her legs crossed the railing. Her sword out and pointed at him. She tried not to glance at her sister. She knew she was alive. She was just resting. Just like she did when they fought Takahiro.

“We never did talk did we Meg” he said moving around on the waffle floor. “I saw you the first and only time I came to your mansion. You were so cute. All dressed pretty, and you had ribbons in your hair. I talked with Sachi and she hated me the minute she saw me” he sighed.

“Maybe because I was the first child. Or maybe even in her imperfect world, she thought she had a little perfection and I ruined that” he smiled at her. “And now look at her” he gestured to her prone body. “So peaceful”.

Megumi grit her teeth and stepped forward.

“She isn’t dead though. You two are so attached……and as a big brother, I wouldn’t deprive you two the displeasure of not dying together”.

Megumi attacked. Swinging her sword fast and Hayata dodged. They were on uneven ground, so she wouldn’t have the advantage with a sword. She didn’t have balance. And he could see it with her attacks.

Megumi was attacking, but she was watching him, instead of watching herself too. Her feet came too close to a hole, and she slipped. Her foot going into one, and she fell forward. She was on one knee, a leg dangling in the hole, and Hayata delivered a kick to her windpipe. She let go of the sword, almost falling through because both hands went to her neck, instead of the edge to support herself.

Hayata held her by her hair and took all the power to his knees to hold her up. She couldn’t just let her go plummeting to her death.

“You can’t just go falling. We’re not at f yet”.

He pulled her up out of the hole. She was wheezing. She didn’t have so much body mass, so she wasn’t hard to lift. He raised her up to his shoulder, and brought her down hard, on her front.

Megumi’s whole body arched off the floor in a loud throaty gasp. She was in utter pain. Being tricked and bested by a bastard, or her ribs making contact with concrete. She didn’t know what was worse. Probably the former. He stepped on her as he made his way to her fallen sword.

He picked it up.

He sliced the air, loving the sound.

“I wish I could skip letters” he mused. “This is sharp…..and swift” he sliced the air again. “I see why you like making your killings with this” he dropped the sword, and made his way back to the rope. His employers had been gone for a while.

They must have left.

But those two. The boy he was meant to kill. And the girl that showed up unannounced. The girl wasn’t his business. She wasn’t back yet, so either she was dead, or gone. The boy would go by the letter b.

He picked it up and turned back to them.

After this he would go home and take a much deserved rest.

Sachi and Megumi. He was going to kill them. His only family. And then he would finally be alone. If he was capable of feeling remorse, maybe he would. But this was their world. There was no need for sorry. He got on his knees before Sachi.

“Elders first” he murmured.

He put the noose round her neck….and what followed after were fast footsteps. He turned around immediately to dodge the rod aimed for his head. The boy was back.

Well A for everyone then.

He was on his feet, dodging the rod. The boy had some kind of skill. The mistake he made, was focusing too much on one person.

Sachi’s fingers twitched and she opened her eyes. She craned her neck to see Takashi and Hayata fighting. She groaned sitting up. It would end soon. She put her weight on her ankles, and just waited.

Hayata kicked the rod out of Takashi’s hands. He hit the side of his head, the same part that was bleeding. The guy visibly shook before he crumbled to his knees.

Now that it was done, he cracked his back. He heard crunching of stone. He thought it was the guy again, but he was wrong. He was kicked from behind with a lot of force. That pushed him forward. He fell forward, but caught himself. This would have been a very pathetic way to die.

‘No matter’ he thought. They were three people dying here today. Now it would be four. But he knew he wasn’t going to be part of the four.

He realized too late that Sachi was up. And she was running towards him. He chuckle dryly. This wasn’t really the time she wanted to pay him back for trying to force her through the holes, right?

He rolled out of the way quickly before she could. But she brought her leg on the back of his neck. Jun tossed the knife to Sachi.

Hayata backed up.

Outnumbered?

Yes.

Did he need help?

He wasn’t sure. They were all in bad shape. And he had given the gun to Megumi.

Wait! Megumi had the gun.

He turned behind, and he didn’t see her.

This was time for Eisuke to make an appearance, but him being the bitch he was, he wouldn’t. He wasn’t going to scream his name.

He felt the pain flare up at his side. He stood there frozen to see Megumi roll forward from behind him. The edge of her knife bloody. How did it happen? She wasn’t behind him. His hand went to his bleeding side.

“E-E…..” he croaked. He felt cold sweat run down his back all of a sudden. He was still backing away unknowingly.

Sachi had the noose round her middle instead of her neck. She ran towards him. He could only think of one thing. And that was down.

His sister tackled him, and they both went over the rail. Sachi held the end of the rope, using the holes to keep herself from falling, and letting her boss die.

Takashi watched everything silently.

Megumi ran to the rail, to see the instant Hayata let go of Sachi’s leg and fell down. It happened pretty quickly. He went down, and landed on their already destroyed car on his back. The younger sister just stared. She didn’t know what to think.

It was Sachi wheezing that got her attention.

“Help me” she said. “It’s going to break my ribs”.

Megumi leaned down and heard her hand. She pulled with the little strength she had left. They were all exhausted, but it was worth it. Hayata was dead, so no more problems. Takahiro’s brat would think they were dead, and this wasn’t his jurisdiction. So a problem for another day.

Probably never.

Sachi crossed the rail, and pulled the noose down. She sat down heavily with a deep sigh, resting her back. Megumi just stood and she stared.

“I thought there was an order to stay low” she sighed.

Karou sat down heavily. Something she should have done when Sachi crossed the rail. She sat down heavily on the ledge. “And if I wasn’t here, you two would be hanging like you’re witches” she said sarcastic, but still respectful.

“I’m not the boss” Megumi could finally relax. “Sachi will know how to handle this”.

Said woman was probably passed out because she wasn’t moving, but she was breathing.

Karou turned to Takashi who was trying to sit with great difficulty. She glared at him. “I guess your brother did a number on you” she commented snidely.

He wasn’t ready for that right now. He should probably leave while everyone was weak and woozy from pain. He needed time to heal. To recover. Both physically and mentally. Now that Lee thought he was dead, he would have to stay dead.

Unfortunately.

Megumi stood straight and took a step forward. Casually. Sachi lazily opened her eyes, and Karou tensed. Takashi struggled to stand, unaware of the cold atmosphere in the room. When he finally stood, his head still down, he heard the cocking of a hammer.

As soon as he looked up, a shot was fired to his torso. He was forced to step back. The shivers in his body increasing just after Hayata hit him in the head.

“I didn’t want you to have your back turned when I fired. That would be cowardly of me” she said emotionless, her had still raised. Takashi just stared in shock. Just when the thought he couldn’t be surprised anymore. He was the one letting his guard down.

“Your life must suck right?” she asked with a fake smile. “The person who killed your parents had his wife adopt you. Then you kill the father of the boy who took you as a brother. And now, he hired an assassin to kill you”.

He didn’t know where the strength in his legs came from, to still keep him standing.

She fired again. “I told you I wouldn’t miss next time” she said softly.

She fired for the last time, and he went falling. There was no car to cushion his fall, but metal rods. She watched him fall and land painfully. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Now, she just felt…..she didn’t have a word for it.

She rolled her lips, then dropped the gun down the hole.

There was silence for a while. Each woman in a state of their own.

“I guess we should leave” Karou suggested. “Before any more surprises” she stood up.

“You’re probably right” Sachi agreed. “Meg?” she called.

“Yeah” she breathed out deeply through her nose. “I need to go home. My work is done here” and she walked away, not waiting for the other two.

VVVVV

Eisuke descended from his spot and made his way down to the bodies. He approached Hayata and just stared. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but they had been there for each other when he mattered. He smiled.

A sad one.

He was gone. He no longer hand that hold he did on him. He didn’t know why he felt this way. He got up on his knees, uncaring about the glass. He was careful not to jostle the body as he hugged Hayata.

“I-I…..” he said weakly.

Eisuke couldn’t say anything. He had watched him die. The assassin. Someone just like him. Completely the same, and at the same time completely different.

“I’m so cold” he wheezed.

He couldn’t be happy, even though there was a time that he might have wished him dead, which was earlier. He never imagined himself being sad over Hayata passing. This was just complicated. He couldn’t stop himself from sniffling.

“I c-can’t feel my l-legs” his voice was so soft.

Eisuke looked down at him and caressed his flawless face. He always envied that. He got to keep what he had taken from him. He felt it wasn’t fair sometimes.

“Help….” He droned, eyes closing.

Eisuke just stayed there for a while. Still holding his partially warm body. He could still save him. Yes he could. He cleaned his face.

It was darkly humorous.

Saving someone that killed for a living. That had no regard for people who were his family. That constantly used him. He was stupid. They both were.

He just stood up, when he heard something hit the ground. Looking for the sound, it was the other guy he had seen one of the sisters shoot. He stepped away from Hayata for a while, and approached the body that fell on the iron rods, and now desperately crawling. Well, if he could call it that.

There was a bloody trail coming from him.

The boy looked up at him, and for once Eisuke didn’t have an idea of what was going to happen.

“P-please” he begged.

“Well….” He blinked surprised. “Was certainly not expecting a turn of events” he said, turning to Hayata, and then back to Takashi.

He crouched down. “What to do?” he murmured, running fingers through Takashi’s hair. He was hoping the guy could answer, because he was lost.

Takashi just looked up at him with teary eyes, and his almost dead mind asking him one question. ‘Are you willing to take that chance?’

And he was desperate to live.

The End…..