So who are they going to find now? Hopefully it's Antonio, because Rizal is more than willing to leave him here if they find Lovino first.
/=+=/
The Shadows were not as scary as they came out to be once Gilbert had three swords in his attire. At least he was getting extremely awesome. Rizal didn't really know what to think about it before he shook his head and headed further into the area trying to leave all of them. Unfortunately, they weren't going to be left together. No siree. Gilbert kept strolling onto his side.
"You going to be OK?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Rizal sighed. "I've been attacked like this before."
"But that's one of your eyes, man! That's unawesome to lose that!"
"I know, but still. This isn't the first time I've been attacked and lost something from myself."
"Really? Where're your scars?"
"They all healed. Apparently, none of them stayed." Rizal shook his head. "I don't worry about it."
"What heals all of them if not any of your abilities?" Gilbert was confused.
"…I don't know."
That was definitely another lie, but Rizal made it drop and hence Gilbert couldn't say anything about it. He turned his head and noticed that the boy was no longer walking on a limp. He couldn't help but wonder just what in the world was going on with Rizal. He found himself thinking the only thing that he could do to get this information…but he really didn't want to do it…
"…Ivan."
"Da?"
"What the heck is up with Rizal?"
"He's just been attacked by Shadows."
"Yeah, but…what's up with his recovery rate?" Gilbert looked back at him. "I've been a nation before and I've never gotten back from being bitten to death this quickly!"
"It's a user thing. I recover faster, and you will too over time."
"…fine…" Geez, so much for a god-damn answer…
They continued on for a few minutes, hearing the strange whimpers of a child echo through the alleyways. It was creepy in the long sense, but Gilbert was the only one getting creeped out. Rizal was rolling his head around as Ivan started laughing at the sound. Before he knew it, Rizal was reaching to the bandages around his eye and ripping it off. He turned his head, and for the quickest of seconds he could've sworn that his covered eye was glowing a bright gold.
"I found him."
/=+=/
Rizal's pace was getting faster and faster, forcing the both of them to keep up. His feet kept tapping faster and faster until they finally found their target: a man standing in the middle of an empty area looking at the fountain. Rizal had to spit in the dirt for that: it was Antonio, not saying a word.
"Oh…looks like we found Antonio first." Ivan laughed. "We're going to have to save him, Rizal."
"…god, why me?" Rizal rubbed his chin. "Nothing really goes my way, doesn't it?"
"Goes your wa-?" Gilbert stomped forward. "What the hell is wrong with you? He's a victim like Lovino, isn't he? Why aren't you showing him any respect?"
"Because you don't know Antonio the way I do. No one does." The Filipino spat. "No one knows him for the lying, twisted bastard that he is."
"But he hasn't done anything to you!"
"…not now. But he's planning on it…"
Gilbert stared at him in confusion, wondering on what the hell Rizal was talking about, when Antonio turned his head and faced the three of them. The Prussian flinched in shock: his eyes were glowing a bright gold, nothing like his usual green color, and the smile on his face was unlike anything he'd seen before.
"Ah, Rizal…I never thought I would see you again."
"…you know damn well that I would." Rizal lifted up his yo-yo. "You're just hiding underneath whatever the hell you call your skin."
"True, true…sometimes I like to come out, you know." The Shadow Antonio laughed. "You're the only one who knows the real me…you and your whore of a sister."
"She is not a whore!" Rizal spat. "She's better than you'll ever be!"
Gilbert froze at those words.
"Not a whore? Well, she must've been…she knew just what to do so that I would keep coming back." The Shadow laughed again. "Then again, real whores wouldn't have skin that soft, wouldn't they?"
That made him snap. Rizal charged forward screaming the entire way, his yo-yo fusing into his blade. The Shadow kept dodging all of the attacks, laughing like he would normally do, all while Gilbert stood there in confusion and darted his head toward a rather blank-faced Ivan.
"Shouldn't we be doing something?"
"This is revenge, da? There's no reason to get in the middle."
"Revenge, on what? For taking over their oblivious little asses and abusing them like every single other nation did to a damn colony?"
"No…that would've been resolved already." Ivan smiled. "This is of Antonio taking away something rather precious from his sister."
"…you can't be serious."
"Yes, it is. Your friend isn't called a pedophile for nothing, da?"
Gilbert turned back to Rizal as his rage continued to fuel his attacks and he started to pound deep into the Shadow's body. The other man didn't respond to the pain, opting to laugh about it the entire time. Rizal was getting even angrier before Antonio leaned forward.
"Haven't you been taught to respect your masters?"
He reached out and grabbed Rizal's hair, startling the others. Before they knew it, Rizal had reverted to a twelve-year-old form, with long hair and a red commander's outfit. The Shadow only laughed as he transformed into his real form, dangling the Filipino by his hair. The figure had four arms, two of them holding the dangling boy as the other two slammed the floor.
"You…can't be serious." Gilbert blinked.
"Hm…Antonio's is worse than yours, da?" Ivan laughed. "That's strange to think."
"You're nothing but a servant to me…a lapdog, the man that gives me everything I need."
"Go to hell, you bastard!"
Gilbert watched in shock as Rizal's long hair turned into a silver chain, wrapping around his neck and keeping him in place. The two hands around him grabbed his limbs, chaining them as well until the man could no longer move. That's when the Shadow moved his head toward the other two.
"…this can't be Antonio."
"Oh, look at that. More colonies? That's just what I need!"
"I mean, I've seen him in battle before, but…"
"Become one with me and I promise you everything that you want in your lives…"
"That bastard up there can't be Antonio!"
"There are some things you never know about your friends." Ivan laughed. "He's just like me, da?"
/=+=/
This is canon only to Rizal's story, not in Charice's…in fact, not even in the official non-Persona canon.
