Chapter Text
Shadows emerged from every side of the alleyway, its geometric shapes seemingly wrapping its tendrils around them as a flickering strip of fluorescent light barely brightened the place. A shallow breath escaped, as quiet as it could. This was nothing new. Shou took a step back, lightly pressing Gunji against the wall with an outstretched arm, almost protective. This was business. The darkness was merely hiding them.
Shou felt more than heard the hitching breath from the other boy he was shielding. A brief glance to his back showed Gunji's anxious expression, sweating profusely as he trembled beneath his touch, yet there was a shine of determination when Gunji quietly loaded up his shield. The improvement of Gunji's skills and psyche was truly something to be proud of. Shou ought to mention it to him at some point— he might like it, after all.
"Is... Is that the Mimpian Amamiya-san was talking about?"
He nodded, unsheathing a blade with his free hand. That Mimpian had been causing far too much trouble for the A.M.O.— evading countless attempts of arrest due to illegal entry; using violence against earthlings, both civilians and A.M.O. agents; as well as the confirmed murder of two earthlings. That unique ability of his species had been a hassle too, which prompted Amamiya to place the responsibility on them, Squad 3 of the Special Forces Unit.
"Mimpians aren't exactly the most combative species out there." Amamiya had told them hours ago, smiling mysteriously. "But, when push comes to shove, they have 'claws' that can ruin even the best fighters."
"Ruin... how?" Gunji wondered aloud, to which Amamiya's smile merely widened, not reaching his eyes.
"They tend to target the strongest of the group first," After a quick glance, Chris moved to turn the screen on, the display of a humanoid figure, standing upon a crouching body, flashing at them. "And by target, I don't mean physically. By using their victim's biggest fear, they're able to psychologically break them before going in for the kill. What a dirty player he is, our little pest."
"We don't know what exactly is his modus operandi when it comes to his forced hallucinations, as well as the extent of it. But if either of you get caught in it, make sure to remind yourselves that it isn't real. Just hold on. The consequences of failing won't be pretty, after all. Do your best!”
Underneath the strange silence haunting Tokyo, Shou stiffened at the faint rustle from the corner that was gradually gaining distance from them. His eyes widened. "He's running."
Shou locked eyes with Gunji, who nodded with a pursed lip. They quickly darted behind another structure, focused on the man casually strolling past piles of trash as he hummed a tune of some trendy pop song despite having his voice crack with every note.
"Man, an Earthling's voicebox is way too complicated." His steps halted right at the alleyway's exit. Bringing up a hand to rest on his neck, the figure tossed his head back— revealing droopy eyes with an inhuman shine to it, barely covered by his bangs, as well as a lopsided smile that was aimed to his back— Gunji. "Can you A.M.O. dogs sing? Maybe I could use yours instead.”
In a split second, Shou had his blade trained on the Mimpian's neck before slicing empty air, avoiding a twisting kick in the next turn. Digging his heels into asphalt, he was about to deliver a lethal strike when golden eyes with spiral-like irises locked onto his.
A chilling wave crashed throughout Shou's body. Vision blurring, skin turning numb, ears ringing. He could almost compare it to an out-of-body experience, one where his soul was forcefully dragged out its vessel. What's going on?
The sudden yell by his back caused Shou to snap out of it, a heavy "Gunji-san!" on his tongue ready to ignite when another voice, loud and invasive, purred right in his ears, "Oh? What a nice relationship you have there. You wouldn't mind then, what the both of us will do to him?"
Teeth clenching painfully, both blades slashed the alien's chest without much thought, throat dry as he regarded him with no response. Continuous attacks from all sides quickly tore apart the Mimpian, yet the sensation of his knives digging into flesh felt wrong. Everything about it was unlike the slicing Shou was accustomed to. It was too smooth, too false— as though he was cleaving a hologram. It reminded him of typical white box training, but there was something different about it too.
"Aw. That was rude." A voice cooed from the diced up remains strewn across the ground. "Not responding to your elders? Tut-tut! Now," Against all odds, a ripple formed in the air, its shape an eerie grin pulling both Shou and Gunji down. "I wonder how long you can last? Beat a record for me, won't ya?”
"...-kun!"
Stillness. Murky water splashing all over his senses. Sludge in his ears, drowning his throat too. Two warm hands reached to his shoulders before it shook—
"Tenkubashi-kun!"
Eyes snapping open, his body shot up as if electrified, fingers about to wrap the hilt of his sheathed blades until he met Gunji's worried gaze. "Gunji-san? Are you alright?" A quick scan confirmed that nothing was wrong— just the typical anxiety that always lingered in his expression. Though there was something off about it, like something was weighing down on him.
"I'm okay, I think..." Gunji assured, yet his lips thinned and he glanced around frantically, afraid that something was about to sneak up on them. "It's just that— what happened? Did the Mimpian knock both of us out?”
Shou clenched his jaw, his features furrowing. "It appears so." Pulling himself up with the help of the other boy, Shou immediately moved into a stance, a careful eye watching their surroundings. It was the same alleyway as before, but with an obvious lack of an alien. "Stay alert, Gunji-san. He's not the type to back down after taunting us like that, especially after the things he had said.”
‘You wouldn't mind then, what the both of us will do to him?' What did he mean by that? Does he have an accomplice? Why did that burn him right in the core? Was Gunji-san their primary target?
"...Tenkubashi-kun, did he say something to you?"
Oh. His frustration must've shown. But then again, Gunji had always been sharp when it came to picking up emotional cues. Shou turned to face the shorter guy, staring right into his green eyes which were widened with concern and curiosity. "There might be two of them, and you might be their target."
"What?! M- me?!" Gunji exclaimed before shushing himself when Shou lifted a finger to his lips. "Sorry... but me? Didn't Amamiya-san say that they usually target the stronger ones? Compared to you, I'm— that's impossible!”
He's right, as mean as that sounded. Between the two of them, Shou was the one who had higher combat prowess. There was no reason to conclude that Gunji was stronger in terms of physical strength— unless. Gunji looked at him curiously, yet Shou didn't notice. Unless the Mimpian knew of the alien inside him.
That was highly confidential information. There was no way an alien like him would know— or maybe it has something to do with the attributes of his species? Not much was known about the planet Mimpi and its inhabitants, after all. Chris-san had said that the U.S. government was still, even after all this time, attempting to develop relations with them, or something. Shou wasn't exactly made to be the brains of the operation.
"Tenkubashi-kun?" Gunji poked his shoulder, a frown pulling at his face.
"No, it's nothing." Shaking his head, Shou was about to head off when a projectile landed where they had stood, his reflexes being the only thing saving both himself and Gunji.
Darting his eyes around fell futile when they were only met by air. An alleyway was never the best environment for combat— attacks were only limited to one direction due to its narrow confines, yet that also meant that his opponent's movements tend to be more predictable, even when they're apparently invisible. Shou had some experience with that, of course.
So when an invisible force rammed into Shou's stomach, he was able to cut into the culprit even when it ended with him colliding with the wall, breaking probably a few bones and causing some internal bleeding in return. Regardless of that, the attacks still showered onto Shou as he parried as much as he could before ultimately focusing on offense, absorbing each and every unavoidable strike with a clenched jaw.
With the blood he coughed up painting his gloves, Shou maneuvered around the cramped space, splashing crimson all around with each slice of the air until he stabbed something— a patch of floating bloodstains. "Ow! Come on, isn't that unhygienic?"
Shou lunged towards the bloodstains, shoving him by the neck across the alley, cracking asphalt. Plunging his blade repeatedly into the alien beneath him, Shou only had a second to defend himself when another force thrusted him onto the concrete wall, countless debris from the fractured wall thumping on the ground in big chunks.
"Tenkubashi-kun!" Gunji's worried yell echoed in the silence, to which he could only spare a glance. The only respite he had in this situation was that Gunji-san was safe and sound.
That was, until the solid mess behind him began to crumble. Forcing himself up despite his bones, the fractures creaking and scraping, begging for rest, Shou jerked his head back to realise that his collision uncovered a half-made building held together by poles, scrap metal, and sheer determination. What? According to A.M.O. reports, there shouldn't be a construction site within the sealed area, much less one this unstable. Strange. It was too strange.
At the high-pitched grinding of metal against metal that pierced and rumbled under their skin, Shou narrowly avoided the falling structure, dashing towards Gunji once he gained his footing.
Everything seemed to slow down. Not in the way adrenaline would fill his blood vessels. Not in the way pain slowly but surely creeps into his limbs as his Revivian horn forms. It was unnatural, as though time was purposely calibrated to stretch— controlled.
Shou's outstretched hand had been a fingertip away from Gunji when everything stopped.
"Nuh uh. You only get to watch."
As if he had been thrown into a void, Shou found himself standing paralysed near the wreck of concrete. This—! This is like that one fight against Nadeshiko Ririka! But this time, his limbs were stuck onto nothing, unmoving no matter how hard he pulled.
The Mimpian, materialising behind him, leaned in to Shou's right, brown strands of hair tickling his cheeks as he cheered with a volume that could burst his eardrums. "Now we both have front row seats! Haha! Watch closely, A.M.O., as your fears come true."
What must be hundreds of metal poles and concrete chunks collapsed in an instant. Even from a distance, Shou could feel the oncoming avalanche rumbling from his rooted feet. "No! Gunji-san, look out!" His grip tightened as he forced his arm to twist, aiming his blade at the wrist holding him down, albeit unsuccessfully.
"Hm? You're still trying? Come on," A forceful hand grabbed his face, turning it so that all he could see was dust and rubble and a standing figure amidst it all. "Look."
Thankfully, Gunji was blocking most of the falling wreckage with his shield, causing a cacophony of metallic clatter every second. His face furrowed in a combination of focus and worry, hands shaky as the torrent of metal endlessly crashed onto him. Even under the increasing pressure on his arms, Gunji took a few steps back, occasionally checking behind and around him for what he assumed was a safer area.
"Tsk. Pesky shield." That low murmur immediately instilled a wave of dread in the pit of his stomach. And before Shou could switch his weapon into electro-shock mode, a distinct crackling noise erupted into a loud rupture of glass smashing. Gunji's... shield. Gunji-san's shield is broken.
Shou couldn't move his gaze away from the explosion of red. There was a loud crash before it gave into silence, yet all he could hear was his hammering heart, lurching as his breathing quickened. A blood-curdling scream tore the air, gurgled as it echoed and echoed and— No. No. No way. The red was too familiar, too unbecoming of his partner. No. Shallow breaths soon began to choke his throat. Something climbed out his body when the mountain of dust gave way to a sight Shou desperately wished could be erased from memory.
A body— Gunji's— trapped within a cage of metal rods sticking out from the ground— impaling him. One in his thigh. Another, multiple, littering his torso. One in his throat— that must be the one making his screams sound strained, Shou couldn't help but notice. More were stabbing his legs, arms, right by his bloodied face. And the blood. So much blood. Too much. Shou was used to it. He was well acquainted with being drenched in his own blood— but Gunji? Everything drips, drip, drip down onto the pool already forming beneath him. Even when Shou was a distance away, everything looked so clear.
Tuning out the laughter by his ears, all Shou could see was Gunji's face, his half-lidded eyes zoning in on Shou, smiling even though Shou could tell that it took every last bit of energy to do so. The light in his green eyes was diminishing faster than ever, as was the shallow rise of his chest, painful and rasping as metal poles grated against torn open flesh. Misaligned bones jutted out of wounds as well, crimson liquid dribbling out of them. Despite that, despite all that— Gunji's lips quivered, forming words that Shou had to strain his eyes to read:
"Sorry.”
Acid climbed up his throat, burning everything it had touched. Shou wanted to puke, to scream, to do anything but watch Gunji die right in front of his eyes. Clenching his teeth, his Revivian horn now out in the open, Shou electrocuted and sliced the alien into pieces in a blink of an eye, not even bothering to question how he could move now. Throat raw as he ran, Shou screamed on the top of his lungs. "Gunji-san!”
If only he had looked back a second ago. He might've seen the grin the once again diced up Mimpian was sporting.
Chopping down the metal rods that stood between him and Gunji, Shou reached him in an instant, careful as brought his body down into his arms, shaking when he took note of the amount of holes all over him. The metal is still in his body— help. Gunji-san needs immediate help. He needs— Shou paused when his eyes locked onto Gunji's, a clear message ringing at the familiar sight that he understood too well.
Dull. His eyes were glazed over. And his hands were cold.
Gunji's hands were cold against his own.
Flames flared inside the mess that was Tenkubashi Shou, as if that were enough to warm up the lifeless one he was cradling. Snakes coiled in his stomach, anger and self hatred flailing and stabbing his heart into a million pieces. His voice came out watery, small as it stings and shatters, "What are you sorry for, Gunji-san? I was the one who broke our promise." Shou held him a little tighter. I’m helpless.
"That's one down!" A voice sounded overhead, to which Shou immediately snapped towards, meeting golden spirals once more. A clap, then there was nothing.
—
A shriek broke through silence, and Shou was back in the alleyway— an intact version of it. "What...?" Darting his gaze around, a sense of horror struck him when it landed on another figure, kneeling with a hand holding up his neck as wheezes filled the air. "Gunji-san?! You're alive?!"
Shou rushed to his side, soothing him with a hand on his back as Gunji hacked up everything out of his throat— the same throat that was impaled moments ago. Yet he's alive. He's alive and that didn't make any sense— Shou just watched him die!
"H...How?" Gunji coughed, petrified eyes bulging, meeting his own. Both a mirror of one another. "Tenkubashi-kun... I died, didn't I?"
The grip he had on Gunji's back tightened. Warm. Warmth radiated out of Gunji. There were palpitations fluttering underneath his fingers too. He's not cold, nor was he dead. He's— A trembling exhale left Shou's lips, relief flooding his bones as his head lolled down. "I... I don't know." I don't understand. His head fell onto where Gunji's heart was, a steady beat in his ears. But I'm so glad.
Closing his eyes shut, Shou forced some air into his lungs. Calm down, Shou. This wasn't the time to idle. They need to figure out what's going on here before the next attack. He stiffened at the sudden, gentle hand on his shoulder, relaxing only when Gunji's voice rang low, "Could this be the 'forced hallucination' Amamiya-san was talking about?"
"Forced..." His voice trailed off. That... That's plausible. Shou lifted his head to look into green eyes, furrowed yet bright nonetheless. It would explain how the alleyway was left unscathed, as well as the fact that Gunji's well and alive by his side— was he? "How do you feel, Gunji-san?"
"Huh? Well, my entire body hurts... like I was really stabbed." Gloved fingers returned to stroke his neck. "I can still move, though.”
"We should move then." Shou held his hand out, pushing out the bloody images when their fingers intertwined as he pulled him up. "Fighting in a place like this won't be advantageous for us, especially when there's an unstable construction site. I'll contact Amamiya-san."
However, as he was fiddling with his mulch, 'NO SIGNAL' flashed with every tap. "That's weird." Shou lowered his arm to allow Gunji to take a peek. "This never happened before."
"Ah, mine too." The shorter boy said, dropping his arm down.
After a beat of silence, Shou extended a hand. "You should stay close to me, then. Hold my hand, just in case anything happens. You can lean on me too if you're tired."
"Uh. Okay.”
The two halted when the vacant crossing came into sight. Absolute quiet hung in the air as street lights flickered their greetings. It was late, but it wasn't that late that this place would be completely deserted. Shou glanced at his mulch, eyebrows scrunching when he realised that the time didn't line up with his memories. 00:26. They had found the Mimpian on 00:40 am.
"Did he turn back time...?" Shou muttered, causing Gunji to jolt out of surprise.
"What?! Then are we still in his hallucination— his dream? Another reality? Or is this reality?" Gunji cut himself off with a groan. "Aliens are way too hyperdimensional for me... I can't think straight."
"You can if you have the spirit."
"I don't think that's how it works.”
Shou huffed out a quiet chuckle before his features fell. "But, if we are in his 'hallucination', why did he kill you? He also said some weird things to me before you…”
Gunji hummed, sweat beading on his forehead. He twiddled his fingers as he spoke, "Amamiya-san said that they tend to use our fears against us, right? I don't wanna die, but it's not exactly my biggest fear. Did he make a mistake, somehow?" It should be though, at this point.
A weight moulded itself in Shou's chest at that. Its roots sprouted, reaching into each and every crevice of his skeleton— blocking his airway, choking his throat. His voice slipped out without meaning, "I'm sorry, Gunji-san."
"Eh? What are you sorry for?"
I failed you. Pressing his lips together, something was about to come out of his mouth before they were interrupted by an explosion, its debris scratching them even as they dashed away in time.
With an arm around Gunji's shoulders pressing him close, Shou’s body a shield, he effortlessly blocked the fragments of asphalt flying towards them with his blade. He cleared the dust with one swipe before tilting his head up to find the Mimpian dawdling in their direction, beaming from ear to ear. "It's time for round two!"
"You're too loud." In an instant, Shou was already behind him, dragging down two diagonal slashes and following up with more consecutive strikes. "I won't let you get away."
Peeling himself out of the ruins of some izakaya, a loud whine broke the air. "Ouch, that hurts, A.M.O.! Can't you spare lil ol' me? I'm not a big fan of fighting, after all."
Shou didn't let a second go when he tore the Mimpian apart, cleaving him open like a butcher with no regard for presentation. He didn't even bat an eye at the cuts and injuries that came in a barrage as he was thrown across the street— the only thing in his mind being: kill the target.
He launched himself without a second thought, both blades already in tow until his body simply froze in the air amidst movement, a few meters away from the lounging alien that was still bleeding from being hollowed out. It was the same paralysing sensation as before, Shou realised with oncoming dread. One where his nerves, from head to toe, were entirely cut off— all of Shou's worth as both a weapon and a person reduced into nothing but a mere fleeting thought.
The next attack will be certain. Blood splattered out of his mouth as his back collided into solid mass. But it's okay. Darkness crept into his vision, blurring the corners in a way that framed the approaching Mimpian. As long as it's me, it'll be alright. I’ll survive this—
Yet the pain didn't arrive.
Shou's breath hitched. "Gunji-san!"
In the middle of the road, Gunji deployed a large-ranged shield, holding off the Mimpian with surprising might even as it clearly took a toll on him. The alien guffawed in return, sending punch after punch with the grace of a novice. Thunder echoed throughout the street that Shou felt it resounding deep in his bones, accompanied by a dark, brooding sense of unease drowning his heart. I can't— you can't!
"Trust me, 'cause I trust you."
Gunji's smiling face from all those months ago flashed before his eyes. Words scratched the walls of his throat to the point Shou's sure it must be bleeding, filling his lungs with nothing but crimson liquid. His limbs burned at each forceful tug, biting down his tongue in a pathetic attempt of distracting himself as his joints dislocated. A cycle of destroying and healing Shou was used to. I need to— I have to—!
"That's a nice face!" A hearty punch managed to pummel Gunji into a crater. Red was coughed out with a yelp as the Mimpian wrapped his hands around Gunji's neck, lifting him up with ease. "Ack, this is harder than it looks— stop kicking me!"
A mechanical click reverberated in the air before the A.M.O. agent was dropped back onto the hole, the alien taking a step back in succession. Strangely, both of his hands were raised as though he had surrendered. Not only that, Shou also found himself planted on the rubble in an instant, limbs free from numbness.
Even as white-hot pain skewered through Shou a million times at once, he still stumbled towards where Gunji lay incapacitated, greedily gasping for oxygen. "Gunji-san, where are you hurt—" Shou broke himself off with widening eyes, his gloved hand hovering near the device around Gunji's neck. "What...?”
"Huh?" Gunji looked down, touching the gadget and subsequently freaking out. "What's this?!"
"That old thing? Just a toy I never got to use." The Mimpian shrugged, speaking up again when Shou drew his blade, "Ah, ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you! After all, it's alien technology used for keeping hostages— I'm sure at least one of you A.M.O. bastards are familiar with them, or not. Who knows!"
Chills drew itself out of the back of his neck, even more so when his eyes snapped towards the flashing countdown in the middle of the device. 5 minutes. No. No. "Tell me how to unlock it. Now.”
"And why should I tell you? Besides, I'm not a bomb expert. Ask someone else, 'cause I dunno!"
All of Shou's senses were screaming at him to torture it out of the alien, yet nine years of working under the A.M.O. told him that he wasn't lying. His grip on Gunji's shoulders tightened, knees digging into rubble. Moreover, 5 minutes wouldn't be enough to acquire the information and defuse the device in one go. His heart clenched painfully, terror swelling as the realisation of what was about to happen settled.
At the gasp that cut through silence, Shou immediately let go of the other boy. "Sorry, did I hurt you? We'll figure this out, Gunji-san, just hold on—"
Shou stopped in his tracks when both of his wrists were held down, not strong enough to hurt, but firm enough for him to be concerned. Green eyes, blown open and hesitant, shook as they met his own. "Tenkubashi-kun, I think I know what's happening."
Before Shou could speak, however, the grip Gunji had on him tightened, trembling. "It's you. You're his target. This... all of this, it might be based on your fear. You want to protect others, right?"
I want to protect you, his mind unhelpfully added, unintentionally becoming the proof of Gunji's conclusion. The color drained out of his face, turning Shou ice cold inside out. I was the one who caused all that pain for Gunji-san? It was my fault?
"Tenkubashi-kun?"
It was his fault. That painful death, and this incoming death. Gunji-san was only in that state because of Shou's inability to protect. From then and even now, all he could do was break his promises— was he truly powerless? This helpless when it came to protecting those that he loves? Those that meant the entire world to him?
"...Tenkubashi-kun?"
If only he could do more. He'd do anything to spare Gunji out of all that pain, even when it meant having himself go through it ten times worse. He needs to do something, but what? What can he do? Think, think, think! He has to save Gunji, or else— or else—
"Tenkubashi-kun!”
A whiff of air finally entered his lungs as Gunji brought both of Shou's clenched palms to rest on his cheeks. The tremor of the shorter boy's fingers against his own made his terror all the more real and visceral. "Remember what Amamiya-san said: "Just hold on." That's all we can do now." Gunji's pupils were dilated, voice breaking as it shook. Despite that, the corners of his mouth pulled upwards, palpable underneath his touch. "I'll see you soon."
A question and a name laid thick upon Shou's tongue in an attempt of strangulation. What do you— Gunji interrupted the trail of words about to slip by lowering their entwined fingers, unraveling them with aching tenderness before his hands travelled towards Shou's chest as he rose— using the momentum to push him away.
Blue eyes widened, panic flaring in them as he desperately fought to keep himself upright. What a joke. Shou, one of the strongest agents of the A.M.O., in a losing fight against gravity itself.
Palms digging and curling into gravel, Shou pushed himself onto his feet, reaching out to Gunji with all the strength he could muster. It fell futile, however, when in that instant, Gunji activated his shield with the clear intention of seperating them. Fists banged against the barrier, his teeth gritting as Gunji's cowering yet determined expression filled his sight. "Gunji-san! What are you doing?!"
Gunji bit his lip, voice coming out meek and steady. "I told you before, Tenkubashi-kun, I don't want you to be hurt more than necessary. So please...!"
"No! Gunji-san! Gunji—" 5 seconds. 4. Oh. It must be his own screaming voice that's hurting his throat. 3. "Akira!”
Everything happened at once. A deafening eruption bloomed as a blinding light disoriented every one of his senses, the shockwave throwing him violently across asphalt. Shou's body must've been mangled. It felt like it was. Shrapnels rained upon him as he somehow gathered enough energy to drag himself to the source, adrenaline further fueling him when droplets of blood began to shower down on him along with scraps. Gunji, he—!
Every twitch of movement came to a grinding halt when Shou realised that there were barely any bodily remains left sitting in the pool of blood. Organs and guts spilled out of his lower half, the remainders of his limbs haphazardly scattered around the area. Shou doesn't even want to find out whether Gunji's head had been entirely decimated or blown away from the force.
His screams soon died down, the leftovers of his voice raw against his throat. Once again, due to his incompetence, Gunji was the one reaping the consequences. Nails dug into his palms, drawing out beads of blood. Useless. Shou was useless.
"Isn't this fun?" The Mimpian leaned down, pressing his weight onto Shou's back. "It took so long to master my control over this world— way too much effort, I tell ya. But playing with my food can make it so much tender!"
Grabbing Shou's hand before the blade it held reached his thigh, the Mimpian cackled. "I told you, this is my world. Everything I say goes!"
"You still have some energy left in ya, right? What about another turn?"
—
A gust of wind was enough to throw off the axis of Shou's body, as well as restore his consciousness regardless of how hazy the world appeared to be. Screams from a few meters behind him pierced the air, to which Shou immediately sprinted towards despite his leadened body. With one hand cradling the back of the collapsed boy's head, his other wrapped around Gunji's wrist, the presence of an erratic pulse finally allowed him to relax, although not fully. "I'm sorry."
Shou tightened his hold on his partner when Gunji took a deep breath, releasing a shaky exhale in the next turn. "I… It's not your fault, Tenkubashi-kun!” He lifted his head despite all of Shou’s warnings. “We have to find a way to contact— mm?"
"You two are just so adorable."
Stiffening at the sudden darkness that enveloped his vision, Shou immediately tore away the hand covering his eyes. Anger surged when his gaze fell onto the Mimpian who had his other palm muffling Gunji's yelps. A knife was already stabbing through the alien as he drawled, "Hey, isn't this kinda boring? Don't you have any other moves? I'm bored. So, so bored!" He grabbed the blade unflinchingly, drawing closer even as it caused the cut to grow deeper. "I can't even feel the pain. I don't like it, after all."
Shou twisted the blade, activating electro-shock mode before he backed away with Gunji in tow, fingers clenched around the collar of his uniform.
The taller boy clicked his tongue. So the Mimpian can't be hurt too? Not only does he keep regenerating, it's also impossible to defeat him by wearing him out? What a difficult opponent. Shou briefly glanced at his mulch, eyes narrowing at the 'NO SIGNAL' written across the screen. It might only be possible to beat him in the real world.
For now, Shou raised both blades in a stance, all I can do is keep him away from Gunji-san.
"Please find somewhere to hide, Gunji-san. We need to look for an exit, too. I'll hold him off while you do that."
"G-got it!"
Once the sound of hurried footsteps treaded away from earshot, light glistened against the blade that Shou drew, his eyes sharp in the way a feline's would. He shot towards the Mimpian with the destructiveness of a machine gun, sending blow after blow instantaneously. All I need to do is cut him up into pieces and keep an eye on him. Shou smashed the alien into the ground, his horn out once again as fingers tore a piece of flesh off. Stall enough time for Gunji-san to figure out a way to escape.
"I think I know why it's no fun." The Mimpian grabbed Shou, snapping his right arm with ease. Shou had to bite his tongue down at that. "All we've been having are 1v1s— don't you think it's time for a 2v1, A.M.O.?"
His blue eyes sharpened, shoulders tensing as the Mimpian picked him up from the collar, knuckles pressing into his Adam's apple. His grin, nothing short of insanity, widened before he tossed Shou towards the direction Gunji ran to, leaving behind streaks of blood that gushed out of his cranium.
Crashing into some neighbourhood store, Shou caught the telltales of a quiet 'eek!' somewhere to his right. He frantically looked around, much to no avail as dust enveloped the entirety of his surroundings. Shou let out a low huff, ignoring the creaking pain that shot through his bones and the blood that came with it.
"G... Gunji-san..." He staggered to the crouching silhouette. "Are you—" Shou halted with a scowl, the figure of definitely not Gunji making himself visible.
Shou's expression darkened as he appeared in front of his opponent in a flash, slashing his jugular artery before twisting into a roundhouse kick. The beast-like state of a Revivian quickly took over him with every stab, calibrated to cause the most severe of damage.
However, strangely enough, at the halfway mark of Shou's endless assault, the seemingly indestructible Mimpian began to grunt in pain before it grew into excruciating screams, scraping and digging his eardrums. Hesitation nicked its way into Shou's concentration, his raised blade quivering inches away from the open wound on the alien's chest. What is it? Shou's mouth fell open before he shut it with a snap. Both hands gripped the hilt painfully. Why am I…? No, that's not right. Why does this feel wrong?
"Oi. Why are you stopping?"
The world itself paused. At that moment, even breathing was like torture with the way it howled in his ears. The ground Shou was kneeling upon started spinning as though he was thrown into a hurricane, where throughout the loss of all feeling of his body— a single voice, a smile audible in them, rang from his side. Not beneath him.
"Look carefully, A.M.O. Are you sure that's me?"
Shou glared into the downturned features he was sure belonged to their target. Those golden eyes with spirals in them stared back unflinchingly. He's lying. The Mimpian was lying. It was just a trick he pulled to lower Shou's guard down, and he wouldn't be falling for it anytime soon. Get a grip. Squeezing his eyes shut, he filled his lungs to its brim. He had to hurry to give Gunji a hand before— wait.
Where was Gunji-san?
Damn it. Shou got so caught up in the fight that he hadn't even confirmed whether he made it out safely or not. However, he was sure that he heard Gunji's voice somewhere in the area before ultimately getting distracted. Since Shou hadn't seen him anywhere, Gunji must be somewhere safe—
"Ack—!" Sudden pinprick-like sensations pierced through both of his eyeballs. Hissing out a breath through his teeth, Shou had to force his eyes open— freezing as everything fell apart in a single moment.
He found Gunji.
With blood, his own blood, splattered all over Shou and himself. Gunji's blood dyed the metal of Shou's blade.
Metal clattered onto the wreckage, its clang muted compared to the sound of Gunji's quickening breath reverberating in Shou's head. No. "No. No. No no no! ” Every surface of his skin covered in Gunji's blood burned. "Please, Gunji-san, don't—!" It took a few attempts to rip his jacket off, the fabric slipping due to sticky liquid tainting his shaky fingers.
"I'm sorry." Shou lifted him with utmost care, tying the cloth around his torso before applying as much pressure as he could with unstable hands and distorted vision. "I'm sorry. I thought... I thought—!" I thought I was protecting you. Useless. He couldn't even save Gunji. Instead, he was the one who harmed him.
"T...Tenkubashi...kun." Bloodied fingers cradled his cheeks, his eyes lidded as Gunji gazed up at him with heavy breaths. Shou felt his heart twist as he moved to support Gunji's weakening grasp. "This isn't real, remember? You... You didn't actually do anything to me." You didn't kill me.
"But it hurts, doesn't it?" For a second, Gunji stared at him in surprise, probably at the way his voice had broken, or perhaps it was because of his agonized expression. When he was graced with no response, the hold he had on Gunji's hands tightened, whispering apologies that would never be accepted (yet it would, all because Gunji was just too kind).
"The pain you felt is real. The fact that I had inflicted it on you is real." A foreign sensation in the back of his eyes took both Shou and Gunji by surprise, especially as salty droplets trickled onto their entwined hands. But that didn't matter.
"Tenkubashi-kun..."
Tears began to drop freely just as the shorter boy's grip gradually fell slack. They didn't deserve to fall, so why? The fault lied on Shou, after all. Now the light in Gunji was fading, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Yet despite that, Gunji still found the energy within him to smile at him. At Shou.
Gunji closed his eyes. Shou's remained wide open, shaking.
"Huh. Is that all?"
—
Soon enough, the world clicked and his surroundings changed. Maybe Shou had fallen unconscious again, but who knows. Maybe he had been standing a few seconds ago, and maybe he had fallen onto his knees without registering anything.
"Wasn't that too short? Too anticlimatic?" The Mimpian came up to Shou's collapsed body with both hands in his pockets. He kicked at Shou like someone would to a puppy. "Hey. Heyy. I told you it's gonna be a 2v1, right? As in, us against that kid?"
Shou's head hung down, still unresponsive. His mulch, however, was the opposite, vibrating over and over. Although the Mimpian doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he huffed, pouting like a child. "Just thrice? Really? Better than most, but you disappoint me, A.M.O. It would've been more on the nose if it was four. Oh well.” The alien pulled out a switchblade, aiming at his nape. "Guess it's time for you to die.”
In the blink of an eye, the Mimpian had been diced into pieces and laid motionless on the ground of the alleyway. Shou flicked the blades to the side, splashing away excess blood. Silence lingered for the longest time, torturous as he waited patiently for any signs of life.
When nothing came, a deep exhale left his lungs. It was that easy? The final fight leading to the target's death wasn't even comparable to the difficulty of other missions. Nevertheless, it had proven one thing.
Taking slow steps towards the figure that lay unconscious in the same space before tragedy had struck, Shou's knees buckled before landing right beside Gunji's body. A hand reached to his neck, relief flooding as a pulse thumped steadily beneath his fingers.
No matter what, Shou will always fail when it comes to protecting those he loves.
Pulling Gunji onto his lap, hand tousled in his hair, Shou finally picked up the call from his mulch. "Tenkubashi here. The target is successfully eliminated." His eyes trailed down, silence momentarily taking charge. "...Please send the relief squad too. Gunji-san is....”
"...Shou-kun. Are you okay? ”
Iron bled onto his tongue. "I'll be alright. If that's all, I'll end the call. We'll be waiting at the location I sent."
Shou slumped towards the sleeping boy at the beep that echoed throughout the walls. Hands slithering around his back, he brought Gunji into an embrace, listening to the lull of his steady breathing and heartbeat. I'm glad. His arms squeezed the other boy who snuggled into him. I'm so glad.