Chapter Text
Tsukasa jumped in-between buildings as the citizens below him were gasping, pointing fingers, recording... who knows what else. He was chasing after Rui, who had run from him. Tsukasa drew a knife. He lunged for him, but he got away. Tsukasa has a gun on his side, right on his belt.
Why isn't he using it?
"Rui! Get back here!" Tsukasa called out, trying to keep his eyes on the target, and also not trip and... fall to his death. Tsukasa felt tears in his eyes. Jumping between the buildings reminded him of the first time he met Rui. How he saved his life, when he didn't have to... how Rui kept him from falling, all while Tsukasa was here to kill him. He couldn't stop some tears from falling as he chased after the boy that he cared for more than himself. He felt his thoughts always drifting to Rui, his empty eyes, and wondering if he could smile the same way Saki did.
Well... Saki would surely smile better once Rui was dead.
"Rui!... Please! We can talk this out!" Tsukasa cried, reaching out for him, knowing he'd never come.
Until he stopped.
Rui stopped running, and looked back at Tsukasa. He was crying too. Rui took off his mask, showing his full face to Tsukasa. A tear-filled, betrayed face. The face of someone Tsukasa had hurt beyond repair. The crowd below the two of them gasped, realizing that was the very person who basically crashed their entire economy like running Minecraft on an old computer.
"...Why?" Rui choked out, his expression changing to one of pain.
"Rui... I'm sorry, I... I had a job to do!" Tsukasa pleaded, despite knowing it wouldn't work.
"I opened up to you. I showed you how vulnerable I am. That I'm human, just like you." Rui said quietly, his voice breaking as he spoke.
"I... I'm sorry... my sister, she's...! You..." Tsukasa stuttered, his hand slowly moving to the gun on his hip. He looked up at Rui, his eyes blurry with tears. Rui's eyes went wide as Tsukasa drew the gun on him, slowly stepping away from him.
"...You wouldn't." Rui gasped. He looked at Tsukasa, expecting him to lower the gun... but also expecting him to shoot.
Tsukasa was sobbing now. His hands were shaking, and he was afraid he was going to accidentally pull the trigger. He...
He loved Rui.
He was able to pinpoint that feeling. That jittery feeling he got when he was around Rui. The way his heart did backflips and his brain scrambled like an overworked PC... it was love. Something Tsukasa never expected to experience, not in his line of work, especially not with a target.
"Rui...! I... I'm... I'm... sorry. I'm sorry!" Tsukasa cried.
He put his hand on the gun. He pulled the trigger. Everyone went silent. The gunshot echoed. Tsukasa dropped the gun, his hands pale and shaking even more now. He looked up, noticing the bullet wound. On Rui. It was bleeding, staining his jacket. Rui looked up at Tsukasa, barely able to form words. He went pale, his lifeless eyes... seeming emptier. Rui stumbled, but he was still alive. And that wasn't allowed. Tsukasa approached Rui, looking him in the eyes, before pulling him into a hug.
"...I love you." Tsukasa whispered, hugging Rui tighter, before...
Pushing Rui over the edge. He pushed Rui off the edge of the building, unable to shoot him again. Rui gasped, too weak from the blood loss to regain his footing. Tsukasa turned away, but fell to his knees when he heard him hit the ground. He had just saved several cities... so why was he crying so hard, that his vision was going black? His throat was dry, and his head was pounding. He was too weak to move, his legs suddenly feeling like they were utterly useless. He turned around and saw the crowds gathering around Rui's body. But, among them... he saw Nene. He saw Emu. They were both shocked, before looking back up at Tsukasa.
He hurt them too. Everyone was looking at Tsukasa. He just killed Rui in front of everyone. And he didn't go out peacefully. Tsukasa swore he'd kill peacefully, not painfully... but that was painful.
Tsukasa backed away off the edge of the building, unable to face the crowd, before he lost his footing. And fell.
But right before he hit the ground, he woke up. He was in his hotel bed, shaking, tear-soaked pillow beneath him. The neon lights of the city were still on...
It was all a dream. Tsukasa didn't just kill Rui. He just... dreamed about it. No...
He had a nightmare about it.
"Hey! Tsukasa! Get over here!" A familiar voice pouted, shouting from across the hotel room. It was Rin. It was Rin...! It was Rin! Rui wanted to meet with him! Tsukasa quickly dove for his phone, feeling even more anxious over the fact he just dreamed about killing Rui. And he's ignoring the "I love you" part like that one time he sang "California Girls" in the second grade for the talent show. He nailed it, but his reputation? Not so much.
"...Rui wants to see me?" Tsukasa guessed. If he was wrong, he looked like an idiot.
"Bingo! You're learning!" Rin smirked, giving Tsukasa a silent round of applause.
"Cool... so, what does he want?"
"He wants you to meet him in his apartment. Be SUPER glad, since he only really lets Nene in there, sometimes Emu.
Tsukasa felt the anxiety weigh him down like a rock. Well, yeah, no pressure. None at all.
"Tell him I'll be right there!" Tsukasa gave a thumbs up, Rin left him the address, and Tsukasa was in! This was his moment! And he...
Well, there's no harm in bringing a gun. Self defense, right?
...Right.
Tsukasa packed his bag, before rushing over to Rui's apartment as quickly as he could. Rui seemed like the kind of guy who did not like to be kept waiting. He pushed his way through the streets, which was... still somehow incredibly crowded, despite it being... FIVE IN THE MORNING?!?!?!?! Geez...
When he got there, Rui's... "apartment"...
Was inside of an abandoned warehouse. A totally not haunted, run-down... spider infested... abandoned warehouse.
Whatever's necessary for the mission. He just has to bite the bullet, and do what he must!
The door was... locked. Seven times. Industrial locks, one of which bigger than Tsukasa's head. Soon, he heard some kind of... unlocking noise. Then the doors of the warehouse opened, despite the locks... well, this was Rui Kamishiro. He wasn't exactly normal.
When Tsukasa stepped inside, it was COVERED in computer cords, computers themselves, computer lights... just a bunch of computers. Rui sat in the middle, typing away at a setup of six computers at once. Tsukasa had no idea what he was doing, since Rui's brain probably ran at a faster FPS than Tsukasa's brain.
When he looked around, he saw Rui's jacket on a coat hanger. It seemed comfortable, that was for sure. What else... was that Rui's mask was off. He had it on a table near some bags and other shirts. Rui turned around, giving Tsukasa an analyzing look, before standing up, walking over to him, and looming ominously over him. His face was... pretty much exactly like the pictures he was shown by the company.
...Normal. Rui didn't smile, more like... looking back at the five TVs he had assembled.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Rui asked, pointing over to the couch he had. It took Tsukasa a second to process. Did... did Rui... ask to watch a movie? With Tsukasa?
Tsukasa Tenma was about to watch a movie. With the guy he had to kill. A casual hangout. It looked like Rui even had a whole ass video game console set up.
"...Why not?" Tsukasa laughed, setting his bag down. Tsukasa watched in fascination as it appeared Rui's expression changed to one of a very, VERY small smile... but it was a smile!
He turned back to his many computers, sitting down on the coveted office chair that rolls. He clicked a few things on that monitor setup, before kicking off and rolling to a second.
"Now, there's a streaming service that I use with Nene. I don't feel like paying, so I bypass the paywall, infiltrate their systems- without an account, of course. I know what I'm doing. Which means... pick a movie." Rui said proudly, turning away to show Tsukasa the collection of movies Rui had illegally obtained.
"How about... hm... ah! I see we both love musicals, soooooooo... how about Pitch Perfect?" Tsukasa suggested. While it wasn't exactly a musical... it was hilarious. Let's see if Rui was immune to mildly inappropriate humor.
"Oh, I like that one. Sure. I've got snacks in the corner, and drinks in the mini fridge. Make yourself at home." Rui nodded, before quickly turning to pirate a movie as if he were playing a video game. Tsukasa felt like he was living on the edge, hanging out with a famous criminal and watching illegally obtained movies. Looks like he was getting wild tonight!
Tsukasa grabbed a bag of barbecue chips ( because everyone loves barbecue chips ) and some sodas, knowing this was the moment he was going to get Rui to smile.
He wanted Rui to experience joy before... before Tsukasa killed him.
Rui turned back to the couch, playing the wonderfully law-breaking film. Rui seemed perfectly content, too. Tsukasa wondered how many times he watched "How It's Made" illegally, since he gives that kind of vibe.
Rui gave Tsukasa a skeptical look at his choice of snacks, before sitting down next to him.
"...Wait, you don't like barbecue chips? Come on! Try one!" Tsukasa laughed, holding out the chip for Rui to try. He seemed a bit hesitant, before taking a small bite into it, only to seem disappointed when it crumbled into billions of pieces and got on the couch.
"Oh... it fell apart." He sighed.
"Then try another! Try and eat it all at once." Tsukasa cheered him on, handing him another chip. Rui tried it, eating it all at once. He paused, seeming to analyze every single unhealthy chemical inside of such a greasy chip, before perking up.
"...I like it. It has the wonderful salty taste, yet a bit of a sweet aftertaste... while it doesn't taste like true barbecue, it seems to have its own unique taste, which makes it all the more iconic. I never knew I was missing out on such a fascinating chip... no wonder they're so popular." Rui said, taking another one from Tsukasa and looking it over as if it were some kind of diamond. Tsukasa laughed, watching in fascination as he continued to analyze the chips instead of actually savoring them.
It continued on with Tsukasa explaining everything to Rui, hoping he could get him to crack some kind of smile, but the entire time...
All he could think about was his dream.
Seeing Rui's full face just made Tsukasa remember his dream, where Rui was betrayed and Tsukasa was the reason why. Where Rui was killed and Tsukasa... was the reason why. He tried not to think about it, but hearing Rui talk to him just made him remember. Rui had to die. It was that simple. Rui couldn't live.
"...Are you alright? You appear to be lost in thought." Rui asked, tilting his head to look towards a zoned-out Tsukasa.
"Y... Yeah. I'm alright." Tsukasa sighed, shaking his head clear of his thoughts. They both sat in silence, before Rui took a deep breath and turned towards Tsukasa.
"Do you want to know why I invited you here?" He asked, giving him a curious look.
"Uh... sure." Tsukasa nodded.
"...You're fascinating, Tsukasa Tenma. And I want to get to know you better. You... you seem different. You're not like the other people who've tried to meet me. I... want to try and hang out with you more. If you're okay with that." Rui explained, looking away slightly from Tsukasa, as if he was embarrassed to say it. Rui... just gave Tsukasa so many other chances... to kill him. He just told Tsukasa he wants to hang out with him more... this'll... be easier for the job. Tsukasa forced a smile, before nodding.
"Of course! I'll gladly hang out with you more. I need some friends, too." Tsukasa laughed, though he was trying to hold back his emotions. He said his goodbyes to Rui, unable to stay there anymore. He just... felt a flood of everything.
Walking home, Tsukasa cried. He cried hard. His dream haunted him, and he had no idea what to do. He has Rui's trust. Rui is a criminal who's willing to let a stranger into his own HOME and be friends with him. And Tsukasa... has to kill him. Rui's face of betrayal in Tsukasa's dream just kept haunting and haunting him. He hated the way it looked, but... it must be done. There's no other way. He has a job to do, and he has to do it. He's never failed a job before. But...
Something told him no. Something, deep down, told Tsukasa to drop the mission. Rui was human, Tsukasa knew it. Being with him proved it. In Tsukasa's dream... he declared he loved Rui. But that can't be true, he doesn't love. But... he can't deny it. Rui can't be killed. Tsukasa knew it.
This is where he drew the line. Tsukasa finally felt it, an emotion he never expected to feel or even felt like deserved. Love. And he decided...
He was going to protect Rui. At all costs.
♪♪♪
"Why do we have to be here?"
"Because Tsukasa isn't doing his job..."
"He's better than us, though! Dammit... all because he's gone soft."
"This is our chance to actually prove ourselves to the boss. We can make some big money from this. Now... come on. We've got a hacker to kill."
The two boys looked around as they stepped off of the train station, one of them on his phone, looking for their destination, and the other was assessing their surroundings.
They had been sent because Tsukasa wasn't doing his job. And his boss knew it- Tsukasa had gone soft for Rui. So... he needed a little backup. If not, someone else to do the job.
And Akito Shinonome and Toya Aoyagi were perfect for the job.