GC decision
The fight. Was finally over. After using Inori's and Kenji's void, Shu finally managed to escape from the CHQ and was currently dragging an unconscious Kenji while holding Inori in his arms.
"I am sure Gai told me he will be waiting over here."
While he was walking towards the rendezvous point, Shu was thinking about what to do, or more specifically, what he wanted to do.
In the beginning he was defending Gai when the CHQ began to interrogate him but, even though he decided to help him again, his conversation with Segai managed to plant a seed of doubt within him, he even accepted a tracking device.
At the end, Shu was not sure whose side was the right one or which one should he support. Nevertheless, the world would not be so kind as to let him really think about it. Shu was getting close to the port where Gai was supposed to be. If Shu was to make a decision, he needed to do it quickly.
A flashlight suddenly glowed over his face, blinding him for a moment, when he looked in the direction the light came from, he found Gai, standing in a boat staring at him.
Shu hesitated for a second, but decided to be the one to speak first.
"If you are looking for Kenji, here he is" Shu spoke while pointing at the unconscious men on the floor.
"I see..." he turned toward the robot by his side, "Ayase, take him".
"Ye-Yes!" Said the girl in the endlave as she used the mechanic arms to move Kenji into the boat.
Once she was done, Gai's eyes turned to Shu again, his stare was now accompanied with a slight judging frown.
"So what will you do now? Will you come? Or perhaps will you go back?"
Once again Shu was given the option to join or to leave. Only that this time, Shu had a determination he did not had the first time.
At the end Shu was not sure which side was correct, he lacked information from both groups. It is true that the CHQ slaughtered all those people back at the ward, but is also true that they helped those that contracted the apocalypse virus. It could be all just a facade, but that is where the problem lays, he was not sure.
On the other hand, the terrorist fought to protect the civilians, he was sure that those feeling of wanting to protect people from the antibodies were true, but then again, as he was not certain that the CHQ was entirely evil, he could not wholeheartedly support the fight they wished to unleash against them. Not when so many people could die as a result.
He lowered his sigh to the girl resting in his arms. Remembering how she rushed to save him even disobeying Gai's orders. And he also remembered the problems he caused her since the moment he got involved in all this chaos.
So the answer was obvious, if he could not really support any of both sides, he would choose none. But he knew that even if Gai promised to let him alone, chances were that he would find the way to involve him in his plans just the same way he managed to make him help in the operation to break Kenji out of prison.
If he truly wanted to be free...
He slowly left Inori down on the floor, leaning her on some fragments of concrete that had fallen from the prison.
"Gai..." he turned around to meet his stare, a slight red glow coming from his eyes. The king had made his choice, "how can I get rid of this power?"
This was the best option he could come up with. If he wanted to stay away from a conflict he could not understand, while also making sure Inori will be as protected as possible, he had to give Gai the power of the king.
His question, in conjunction with his red eyes, seemed to surprise Gai for a second, before he came back to his rational and calm self.
"You cannot get rid of it" he started explaining, "The Void Genome is strongly adhered to your arm. The only way for you get rid of it would be to killing you or to cut off your right hand."
"So even though you were so displeased about me having the genome you still refrained from killing me or to harm me" Shu smiled at that, "you are nicer than what I though".
"Now that you know this, what? You have not given me an answer yet".
"I am not going with you. Even after all this time, I cannot truly tell if what you guys are doing is right, and also, i don't think I can trust you".
He crouched until he was in front of Inori. She seemed to be slowly awakening.
"Shu?"
He tried to give her his best smile.
"Sorry Inori, this will be the last time, ok?"
Without giving her the time to react, Shu introduced his hand in Inori's chest sending her again to the realm of unconsciousness.
The Undertakers in the boat got alarmed, and started pointing his arms at Shu, who now stood in front of them, holding a beautiful black sword.
"What are you planning?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you?"
Once Gai understood the meaning of those words his face shifted from a strict frown into an alarmed gasp.
"Don't tell me...!"
With a swift slash, Shu's right arm fell to the floor, immediately making him fall on his knees holding what was left of his right arm whit his left hand.
All member from the undertakers had varying expressions regarding the sudden display of horror, from which shock was the most predominant.
Once Shu got a little bit over the pain, he took the Void Genome in his left hand, carefully to make sure not to absorb it back, and tossed it towards Gai who immediately absorb it into his own arm. Clearly, he had underestimated how extremist the boy could be.
But that was not important at the moment, the boy in front of him had inflicted a grave injury in himself, if left untreated he would lost more than a right arm.
"God dam it Shu!" Gai jumped from the boat towards Shu, and once besides him used his own jacket to try to stop the bleeding.
"What are you guys doing?! Bring the medical equipment!"
That brought everyone out of their shock, and some members went inside the ship to search for medical items.
Meanwhile Gai stared a Shu quite angry for the foolish action the young man just displayed.
"Are you so much of a coward that you would trow away your arm just to escape danger?!"
As the black sword made its way back inside Inori, Shu stared back at Gai. There was no mistake now, his eyes were definitely red, even without the Void's influence.
"It's not that I am trying to run away. I told you, didn't I? I do not trust you, but I don't fully trust the CHQ either, that is why I don't want to involve myself in this conflict any longer".
A member got close to them holding a bag from which he pulled out some bandages and medicine to stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound. Once the member had finished Gai picked Inori from the ground and carried her into the ship with Shu following close.
"What do you think you are doing?" Gai asked him.
"Can you at least give me a ride?"
"Didn't you said you did not want to get any more involved?"
"Just toss me near some hospital so I can get properly treated." He said as he lifted his arm from the ground, luckily it was a very clean cut, if he hurried there was still a chance to reattach it.
"We can restore you arm at our base, then you can just go and do whatever you want, consider it a gift for your help up until now."
Shu did not seem to have problems with that arrangement as he stepped into the ship.
...
After putting his arms in a bag filled with cold water hoping that will help conserving it, he headed toward the outside of the ship where Gai was looking at the horizon.
Shu walked toward him and pulled out of his pocket an orange pen.
"They told me I could use this to transmit my position, I figure you can make good use of it". He said while handing the pen to Gai.
Gai took the pen reluctantly and stared at it for a few seconds.
"You said that you don't want to be involve in this conflict, and that neither are you in our side. Then why are you giving me this, which will certainly help us? Even going as far as to cut off your arm to give me the void genome."
Gai needed to understand, it is true that if Shu wanted to get out of all this conflict getting rid of the void genome was a must, but if he truly distrusted Gai, why hand over the Void genome to him? Why not just give it to someone else he DID trust? Why are his eyes still red? And what is more, how the hell was he so calm after losing an arm? Sure they we're going to reattach it but most people would be freaking out or at least displaying some signals of impatience.
"Because there is something I want you to do for me".
"So you are trying to negotiate? Truly you are making a good job at impressing me today."
Even when Gai had many questions, he still adhered himself to his calm personality.
"Then? What do you want from me?"
Shu seemed to doubt for a moment, before blushing a little.
"I want you to protect Inori"
That certainly surprised Gai for a moment, but was able to hide it good enough for Shu to notice.
"Ho? So all this for a girl". A teasing smile was making his way up to his face.
"It is not like that!" He denied with his blush more pronounced. "It's only that... she is a good girl, but for whatever reason she seems to have a good deal of faith in you. She would probably follow you even to the pits of hell to protect you, and that is what worries me."
Shu drifted his eyes at the sunset beyond the horizon, three quarters of the sun already out of sight.
"If she follows you, she is bound to get in dangerous missions, which is why... I want to do what I can to keep her protected without involving myself, even if I had to help you to do so. At the very least, I think you are the kind of person that protects his comrades."
"Is that so..." yes, that sounds like something this naive boy in front of him would do, "well, then you have nothing to worry about. As a leader, protecting my comrades is a must."
"If that is true..." Shu turned away from the sunset and stared at Gai, his eyes slowly losing the red tone going back to its natural brown, "then I can be at ease."
They stayed there for a while. Both staring at the distance until they finally arrived at the base.