Notes: This is an AU fic that contains elements of violence and non-consensual sex, as well as mild references of incest and yaoi. So, please, be warned. Some of the characters might seem more cruel than they actually are, but everything is written along the needs of this story. It will primarily be a Sousuke/Gou fic , and on a second level RinGou (and everything else tagged). For now it is set to finish in 5 chapters.

Those Piercing Eyes of Red
Chapter 1
"...and crimson was his hair"

Night

They came at night. They climbed over the wired fences and crawled their way into the abandoned facility. Patiently, they slithered along the drains, the moist earth cracking their bones. Black boots smeared with mud , knuckles almost numb from cold , solemn faces silently stealing through darkness. Somewhere far, a dog's mournful bay ripped the murk apart.

"Any minute now"

Something was stirring the shadows on the threadbare walls. They waited motionless behind a rusty trailer as the shady figure approaching slowly transformed into a male silhouette. Hiding away from the sickly yellow light poured by the obsolete poles, his once blonde curls appeared pitch black as he swiftly slid through that graveyard of structures.

"There he is, Rin-senpai"

A couple of heads nodded in acknowledgement when the young intruder finally came to a halt before them. Rin stepped in front of them, his lips forming a rigid line as he watched intensely his shorter companion.

"There's a small building next to the warehouse, just as we thought. Looks like an old outpost. Only one of them is guarding the cell. There are a few more overseeing the main gates, no one's at the back but it's almost impossible to sneak in, the walls seperating the place from the woods are massive."

The redhead grabbed him by the shoulders tightly and rivers of crimson bored into the younger lad's eyes.

"Did you see her?"

He shook his head negatively, shattering the expectations that had awaken on Rin's face. The taller male shut his eyes momentarily and let go of his shoulders.

"Rei, are we sure they're keeping her there?"

The man called Rei steadied his red glasses and looked back at him with a light smirk.

"According to my calculations, her cell is in the outpost Nagisa-kun just described. Having studied Samezuka's headquarters' plans, there's nowhere else she could be. I'm rarely wrong, senpai."

Rin's relentless gaze bounced among his nakama. Without any objection, they had followed him from the get-go into this ride of frenzy he had embarked against his old gang. Clothes soaked in dirt, bodies bent under the load of sleepless nights, and yet, here they stood, ready to risk their lives in his name. In the end, he breathed out, signing his determination.

"Any patrols?"

"None. Most of them are asleep."

"Very well. Nagisa, you'll stay put here and cover our backs. Any suspicious movement you see, any alarming sound you hear, rush and warn us."

"Aye, Rin-chan"

"We'll continue along the drains, to keep away from the guards at the main entrance. If there are no patrols, we should reach the warehouse without any problem. From there, we take the stairs to the outpost. The guard.."

"Guy wearing a full-face hood, he also seemed asleep."

"He should be no problem,then. Either way it will be the four of us, we can disarm him easily. Knowing what kind of bastards they are, they probably keep her locked or in chains. Makoto?"

"Piece of cake, Rin." Next to him, a tall, sturdy man cracked a reassuring smile and patted lovingly a medium, military sack hanging from his shoulder. For a few precious seconds, the dreary clouds faded away, and as the moonlight shed its weak , silver beams on them, Makoto's emerald eyes sparkled eerily through the mist. "There are neither chains, nor bars in this world that my tools can't smash open."

The redhead nodded content.

"Haru, Rei. No guns this time. We want to keep this as low as possible. Gou is out there hanging on dear life, exhausted and hell knows what else. Our priority is her safety, we can't risk a gunshot or any other spunk that will give away our presence. However..."

Rin faltered. For the first time he realised he was about to ask from them the impossible. He was ready to demand his comrades washed their hands in blood and , in his mind, he held no remorse for this. Because everything and everyone paled when compared to her. All in his sister's name.

"..if we get discovered...if by any chance things don't go as planned..."

Suddenly, he felt a steady hand on his right arm, clenching him lightly. He looked up at Haruka's cold-blooded face and his fiery crimson met that endless and haunting sea of blue, sometimes turbulent, but this night dead calm, the one familiar shelter in his life.

"Rin." Haruka's emotionless voice flowed into the air, as his other hand caressed a pair of sharp blades attached to his belt, two lethal allies that had granted him a notorious name among the gangs.

"Don't worry. No one will come out alive to tell"

Ten minutes later, they emerged quietly behind the desolate warehouse. Nagisa had been right; no wandering soul had cut their way. Most of the Samezuka members had surrendered into deep slumber, totally oblivious to what Fate had conspired for them. Arrogant and disdainful as most of them were, they probably underestimated the Iwatobi boys for a bunch of fainthearts that would never dare such a perilous plan. It had been almost a month, after all, and they expected Rin to eventually knock on their door hat in hand and exchange his pride for his sister's life. Everyone knew the male Matsuoka had one and only weakness. Everyone wished that weakness would sound the end of him.

As they reached the dimly lit outpost, Rin's heart started its own erratic dance within his chest's folds. Could she have been there all along? Locked behind those hostile walls, imprisoned in the wet cell destined for him? The small building seemed so quiet , unearthly beautiful under the wan light showering that decayed place. Mold had swallowed the wooden stairs leading up to the one and only floor of the outpost, and the two windows that once decorated its front , were hermetically sealed with planks and bricks, recording a lifetime that had long now been dust in the wind. A rust-covered door was hanging open and the faint light in the room where the guard was sleeping, was leaking into the darkness outside in lemon streams. With Rin in the lead and ready more than ever, they slowly ascended to the outpost's porch, ropes and iron bars firmly clenched in their hands.

The moment he stepped on that staircase, Haru knew something was not right. He could somehow sense it in the bleak wind, he could somehow smell it in the damp soil. His eyes scanned their silent surroundings, unable to distinguish the discord within the night's symphony.

"Something is off" he whispered to himself and took another step closer to his comrades. His gaze wandered on the ruined walls, the strangely lit office, the tensed back muscles of his friends, the lack of sounds in the air. The lack of any sounds in the air. Sounds that an unaware human being, even if asleep, would definitely emit. His azure eyes widened as realization kicked in.

"Rin, wait, it's a trap!"

Haruka never managed to finish his warning, as a huge shadow surfaced from the blackness and came crashing on Rin. The redhead got startled and before managing to react, a solid punch landed on his jaw, gashing his lips and sending him reeling backwards to Rei, who, stunned by the raw force, tripped down the stairs.

"Shit, the guard was never asleep" Haruka spat and dived for the hooded man's legs, to avoid any direct hit from him. Makoto latched onto his arm and, even though the Samezuka member looked quite robust, the olive haired man was a sizeable Titan himself. Blocking the man's attack, he used his body weight and, together with Haru , they struggled to drag him back inside the office. Until they noticed the gun glistening in his free hand, its barrel aiming at the blood stained shark in front of him.

"Mako, he has a gun!"

Makoto swifted his weight and tried in vain to get a hold of the weapon, but , suddenly, the man grew rigid in his arms, momentarily hesitating to shoot. Haru craned his neck, looking up, and for a second a delusion poisoned his vision; the guard had made a slight move , as if lowering his arm. And then he heard a subtle clasp on his belt and felt an intrusive hand shamelessly depriving him of something dear. But it was too late, already; with the blade extended menacingly, a rabid Rin lunged at the guard.

He wasn't a murderer, really. In his short life, Rin Matsuoka had been a lot of things, half of them things neither himself was proud of. He had been hanging out with the wrong people ever since his father's death. He had conned a few of them more than once, but he had always entertained men's foolishness. He had taken part in three or four robberies , held out by the infamous "Samezuka swimmers", at a time he needed the money. And continued even when he didn't need it anymore, but hey, he was fast with his hands, and witty, and he would always tell a good joke at the end of a "job". He had sent a dozen of manliness-reeking stooges to the hospital. But he had been nursed himself there often too, so in his code of honour they had been even. He had smoked weed – and for a while had passed around some too – but he quickly got bored of it, besides he was capable of finding mad fun without any substitutes. He had been drunk. Boy, he had been drunk a lot. And he always remembered the next morning, both a gift and a curse, depending on the previous night. During his heavy-on-booze days , and even more during his sober ones, he had slept around a lot, breaking several female hearts in the process. And a few male ones, as well. He was never too picky when mating, since almost everyone craved a piece of him. Besides, it had always been funny seeing the weaklings begging. Arguably, he had been a bad role model for his younger sister. He had taught her a few things a brother shouldn't have. His sleep had never been peaceful cause of that. And, eventually, he had fallen in love. He had fallen madly in love and betrayed his Samezuka brothers, and rushed away, into the unknown of the neverending, blue sea...But he was never a murderer.

Until that night. Because as Rin fell down, dazed and confused by the painful sting on his jaw, warm blood running down his lips , its bold taste mingling with bitter dirt inside his mouth, his eyes caught a glimpse of a sight that even his worst nightmares showed pity on him and never revealed; at the back of the office, inside a narrow cell, a frail and abused female body was curled up on the chilled floor.

He snapped.

Fog envelopped him away from whatever was happening around him. Invisible nails kept hammering his temples, as if the pain he had inflicted upon others all his life, had just grown out of proportions and had come to haunt him. He could taste blood, both tangy and sweet, but it wasn't enough. Because an inexplicable primal instinct flooded his veins, he had to see the blood, he had to bathe in all its scarlet glory. So his sister would rise up and get avenged, so the pain would stop clenching him like vice, so the unholy voice of his father , echoing "you had one job to protect her, one damn job" would silence one and for good. He didn't see anything within this fog. All he saw were Haru's blades. Shimmering below the moonlight aura, as the sky chased the clouds away for the second time that night.

The fine steel tore the fabric and ripped the soft chest underneath so delicately. It seemed almost scandalous how easy it was after all. To shred the skin. To split the flesh. To breach the heart. The man's eyes froze in shock. He clutched on his slayer's leather jacket and his fingertips grazed his silky, crimson hair. The caress was almost tender. Like love. A muffled sound escaped his mouth, thoughts in agony that never earned the shape of words.

To cut the string of life. To kill.

The guard's body slid on the ground, suddenly heavier than a sack full of stones and Rin followed. Again and again he drilled the blade into the lifeless body in his arms, pleading proudly guilty of the last of all sins, guilty of invincible rage. The blood kept gushing out , red streams of wine, tainting his clothes, his hands...

"Rin...Rin..."

..tainting his soul, pooling around them...

"Rin! Makoto grab him, damnit. Makoto! Snap out of it!"

"This is not good, Haru-senpai. Not good!"

With a face bleached due to his own fear, Makoto seized Rin's arms and captured him in his strong embrace. Rin's body shuddered and , waking up from his delirium, he dropped the blade as if a scorpion just stung his hand.

"What are we going to do, Haru-senpai? Did they hear us? They might be on their way now. This is not good. Not beautiful."

"Shut up, Rei, you aren't helping! Grab him by the legs , let's pull him inside."

Haruka and Rei dragged the body closer to the office's entrance, all the while tossing glances around them , making sure no one sees them and all hell brakes loose. Makoto helped Rin stand on his feet and , upon noticing his badly beaten face, asked with concern if he felt ok. Rin stared at him and blinked bewildered for a second, but, suddenly, his memory spinned back into motion and his eyes searched frantically for his sister.

"Let go of me! Gou!"

He staggered into the office and, as the cell's door wasn't locked, he eagerly pushed the bars back and was soon on his knees, by Gou's side. To say that her state was bad, would be an understatement. The floral dress he had once gifted her as a birthday present , was nothing more than filthy rugs and shreds. Various purple bruises, both old and fresh ones, were covering her otherwise pearly body. Her hair was loose and seemed still damp from a recent shower, which made Rin only cringe at the thought of the depraved tortures she might have been forced into. With sobs sticking up his throat and tears pooling inside his eyes, he gathered her almost ritually inside his trembling arms and shook her fragile body with care.

"Gou...please...wake up..."

The rest three Iwatobi males stood silent behind him, their own hearts straining at the miserable sight before them. Rin gently tugged his sister's burgundy bangs behind her ear and nuzzled her soft forehead with his furrowed lips. He shut his eyes tightly and slowly rocked back and forth in despair.

"Please baby...onii-chan is here..."

A light stir in his arms. A weak quiver of eyelids. A timid touch on his fingers.

"The car..."

His heart sank.

"Gou? Thank God...You'll be allright, baby. Gou."

"The car, is it...here yet..?.."

She looked disoriented. Her voice came out in pants and her focus seemed unstable.

"What car, Gou? It's me, your brother. I am here now, everything's gonna be fine."

Her pupils dilated and her small lips formed a painful smile of relief as she suddenly recognized him.

"Onii-chan!...I knew it...I knew you'd come"

With whatever strength she had left, she tightened her delicate arms around him and held him dearly. Rin burried his face in the velvet crook of her neck and inhaled her unique fragrance that , despite her torments and the bad state she was in, had remained unaltered. Exactly how he always remembered and cherished it. She kept whispering to him her gratitude, and he would have broken down wailing right then and there, crashed by the Furies trailing after him, if it hadn't been for his friends reminding him they had to leave as soon as possible.

"Rin , leave Gou to me. " Makoto offered calmly "I'll carry her out."

"Never." Rin narrowed his eyes on his athletic friend and , instictively, hugged Gou more securely.

"You are wounded, it's really better if I.."

"I'm fine."

"Rin, your face looks struck by a juggernaut and your body is a bloody mess." Haruka's deadpan voice interrupted them "You're not even in a position to carry your own self"

Makoto sighed at Haru's bluntness.

"Really, Rin. Just let me help."

Eventually, Makoto lifted a tired and half asleep Gou into the warmth of his broad chest, but only after the young girl reassured her brother that she was fine with it and perhaps it would be better for them that way. She squeezed his hand longingly, called him "her only knight", exactly like when they were kids, and, frankly, that was all Rin ever needed to hear.

At that moment, he did not care he had just sacrificed a life at the mercy of his sister's altar. He did not care the scar on his face was dripping hot blood still, nor that he had probably lost for good a couple of his popular shark teeth. He did not care when Rei wondered why Gou looked as if she was seeking something anxiously before she delved back into slumber. He did not care that , while his companions were getting ready to flee that cursed place before anyone else tracked them down, a disturbed figure that looked like Nagisa was running their way, waving his hands in the air, desperately trying to warn them about something that would now remain untold.

Rin did not care about any of these. All it mattered was that, that night, he had slaughtered the beast. He had saved the maiden. He had conquered back his old castle. His father's voice would leave him alone for a while. Or so he hoped.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. 2nd chapter will be on its way...