It seemed that every other conversation was about Rin. In the school, outside, it didn't matter. It had been a week… maybe two, since Shima walked into their room after meeting with the boy, but his concern had only escalated and made the conversations more frequent. Wanting to avoid that unwholesome topic as best he could, Bon decided to take a walk by himself. Unsurprisingly, it only made him angry.
He was always angry lately. It was tiring him out and putting stress on his body, but it couldn't be helped. He needed an outlet.
'How can they all be so blind,' he seethed. Izumo and Sheimi seemed to just absorb anything Shima told them about the abomination, believing it as true and offering solutions and sympathies to their classmate. Konekomaru was the only one to see reason, fearing what should be feared, what should be eradicated.
Swimming in hate, he didn't notice the figures in front of him until he tripped over one.
"Hey, you jackass," an unfamiliar man called after he picked himself up. Turning, he saw four bellicose-looking men, not unlike himself, glaring heatedly at him. 'I don't think this was the kind of outlet I was thinking of,' he thought lamely. "You got a problem?"
Not one to back down from a challenge, let alone an insult, Bon took the bait. "Yeah, I have a problem! You idiots standing in the middle of the road is my problem. What are you going to do about it?"
They grinned. "I think we should teach this boy some manners," the one on the far right drawled, whipping out a knife. 'Oops,' Bon thought, 'wrong crowd to pick a fight with'.
"Yeah," The others spoke, picking up large, hefty sticks near their feet, one breaking it with his foot to get a sharper edge. Bon assessed the situation. Running would not only get him nowhere, but would damage his pride, as would trying to defuse their intent. Barreling in headfirst would surprise them, no doubt, but with four against one, it still wasn't good odds. Not to mention he'd foolishly left his firearms in his desk at his dorm. 'Damn.' Seeing no other way out, Bon crouched low and waited for the first attack.
The one with the knife came first, swinging wildly, but with purpose. It was easily avoided and a blow to his jaw pushed him back, making the others hesitate, then smile.
"If you're gonna play with him, Maki, you shouldn't let yourself get hit."
"Shut up," the one named Maki commanded. "I don't have time for this anyway. You guys want to help me cut him up, then come on."
Expecting disorganized movements like before, Bon was taken aback by their skill. As one unit, they moved smoothly, each one trying to gain his attention as the others moved nearer. A sharp yell from his right, given the nearly silent onslaught, was enough to capture his attention, leaving him at the mercy of those behind.
Pain in his head, pain in his stomach, pain, pain everywhere. He was able to get out a few hits of his own, but only enough to enrage them. The kicks became harder as he fell to the ground, the blows became more frenzied, and curses spilled from the mouths of those around him. He felt warm liquid spilling over his arms, torso, legs, and forehead, and the amount kept multiplying. He couldn't keep up, but he didn't stop struggling. However, it only seemed to make his situation worse. The pain continued.
A nearby tree rustled, making the thugs turn their heads. Too late. From above, the first went down, taken by the force and speed of his attacker as he landed on his back. From below, the second was propelled upward with an uppercut straight from the earth. From the left, the third was knocked off balance and, from the right, his club was ripped from his hands and broken atop his head. From the front, the fourth's knife was dodged a knee to his groin left him unable to stand, let alone move. Five seconds of movement, four targets down, not a move wasted on naught but their neutralization.
Blind in one eye from the blood, Bon could only just make out his savior. 'It just had to be the demon, didn't it,' he thought bitterly. 'Come to mock me. I wonder if he'll finish me off and blame it on those bastards.' With that in mind, He got to his feet, coughing blood, and readied himself again. Undeterred, Rin moved forward with the same measured pace he had used when confronting Yukio and his leveled gun.
With as powerful a punch as he could muster in his current state, Bon swung his fist, which collided with Rin's cheek. What had sent the other man back staggering, almost going down, merely pushed Rin's head back forcefully. The half-breed's hand quickly gripped Bon's wrist and pulled, making Bon put weight on his most damaged leg. His knees buckled from the agony and he fell forward, landing on the one in front of him.
With unexpected strength, Rin hoisted Bon atop his shoulder, his legs dangling off the ground. The pain was excruciating, and, as an act of divine mercy, Bon lost consciousness.
