"Now, what should we start with first?" Fujisaki pondered, tapping the gun along his chin in thought, his eyes trained on Yato.

Yato kept an even gaze, his hands and feet now bound by rope as he sat in the middle of the bridge. Kugaha stood next to him as a guard, which was unnecessary; Yato knew he couldn't make a move while Fujisaki still had his gun in hand. There was no need for a guard when Fujisaki had a loaded weapon at his disposal. Yato discreetly tried to slip his hands through the rope, but it was tied so tightly that it had begun to give him rope burn.

"Why don't you set the gun down and we can settle this like men?" Yato replied, jerking his chin behind him, towards his tied hands. "Me and you, like last time. You can have your dinky knife if you'd like, though it didn't help you before, and I doubt you've improved any since then."

As Yato had spoken, Fujisaki had marched over toward him, kicking Yato in the jaw and knocking him to the ground. The kick hadn't been enough to dislodge teeth, but Yato could taste the metallic taste of blood. Fujisaki pulled him up by his shirt, Yato's eyes defiant and cool.

"What's the matter, lost your temper?" Yato baited, earning a swipe of the gun across his face. His temple exploded in pain, bleeding in the same spot where Fujisaki had hit it earlier.

"Be careful what you say next or I might consider shooting you in the leg," Fujisaki said, his voice hard as steel. "I think I figured out what we're going to start off your initiation with."

Fujisaki sent a hard kick into Yato's side to roll him onto his stomach. Yato tried to roll away to avoid what was coming next, but Fujisaki's foot stomped hard onto his back before he could. Air rushed out of Yato's lungs as Fujisaki stomped on his back once more before moving onto stomping on Yato's hands. Yato couldn't help but exhale in pain as Fujisaki slammed his foot down on Yato's fingers, mushing them into his back as if he were squashing a bug with his shoe.

Fujisaki's hands tugged at Yato's hair, violently tugging his head up and backwards while his foot remained planted into Yato's back. Yato hissed in pain as Fujisaki pulled him further into a stretch, Yato's back muscles and bones feeling as though they could tear and break any moment.

With a swift kick, Fujisaki plunged Yato's head to the cold, wet panels of the bridge, freeing him from the hold. Yato's breath came heavy, but at least he could breathe while his body pulsated with pain.

"How are you liking initiation, Yato?" Fujisaki taunted, stepping back a foot. "You seem a bit out of it, is everything alright? Do I need to smack you with the gun again? Or would you like me break your back this time?"

"Go to hell," Yato spat out, rolling onto his side. His eyes remained defiant, despite the pain his body felt. Every part of him hurt, a throbbing pain remaining in Fujisaki's wake.

Fujisaki chuckled, his eyes lighting up with amusement. "Is that the best you can come up with?" Fujisaki shrugged. "How pathetic."

"Says the guy who won't tell his girlfriend the truth because he's too afraid she'll break his heart and dump him."

"At least I have a girlfriend." Fujisaki narrowed his eyes. "Kuga, stuff him between the railings. I think it's time we move on to one of my favorite activities."

Kugaha's hand gripped tightly onto Yato's hair, yanking him forward. Yato fell to the ground hard, unable to move his feet, Kuga's grip threatening to pull out a few of his hairs. Yato bit his tongue to refrain from voicing his pain as Kuga kicked him between the bridge railings.

Fujisaki crouched next to him, switching the gun over to his left hand, his right hand fisting in Yato's hair. Fujisaki raised up Yato's head until it was even with his, his orange eyes lighting up like a fire with pleasure. "I might consider having mercy on you if you beg for me to stop."

"We both know you're going to do what you want regardless of what I do," Yato said, his voice sounding much stronger than he felt. On the inside, he was shaking with fear. He knew what Fujisaki was capable of when pushed far enough. "Besides, I would never grovel to garbage."

His last words seemed to break whatever self-control Fujisaki had, because Fujisaki slammed Yato's head into the water without warning. Yato tried to take in a quick breath, but he hit the water too fast. He felt someone jump on his back, forcing out what little air he had. Yato sucked in water, his lungs burning as he did.

This is it.

Yato regretted having called Fujisaki garbage to his face. He knew he shouldn't have pushed Fujisaki's final button, but with how much the guy pissed him off, it was hard not to. Though, now that foolish decision would cost him his life. He would have to be one lucky fool for Fujisaki to not kill him right now.

Yato wondered if this was how Yukine had felt at the time. He wondered if Yukine had contemplated about life, like what he could have done that would not have put him into this scenario. If he had thought about it and had the chance to change things, would he have? Yato knew he would not change a single thing. He did not regret saving Yukine for a moment, nor did he regret the humiliation doing so had brought upon Fujisaki, and Yato definitely did not regret getting to know Hiyori.

I'm going to die with Hiyori hating me and without having said thank you to Yukine for everything. He better treat my car nicely or I swear, I will haunt his ass until the day he dies.

Yato smiled fondly at the memory of the day Yato had told Yukine he had a car, that day suddenly entering his mind. Yato remembered leading Yukine to the parking lot, opening his arms to present his car. Yukine had blinked in surprise, pointing towards his vehicle.

"This is your car? You own a car?" he had asked incredulously, circling the vehicle. "It's in good condition…did you steal this from someone? There's no way you could afford to keep something like this here."

Yato rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, pouting. "It was a gift from my grandparents. I didn't steal it! Jeez, I save you and this is how you treat your savior? You should treat me like your god."

"I bought you food and you insisted you didn't need anything more than that." Yukine's eyes passed over Yato's, unsure of his words. "You aren't going to kill me if I get into it with you, are you?" Yukine hesitated to open the passenger side door. "How am I supposed to know if you're a good driver?"

"You don't trust me, do you?" Yato asked, sliding into the driver's seat. "I am a very capable driver, I will have you know."

"Who described you as that?" Yukine slid into the passenger's seat, putting on his seatbelt.

"Plenty of people have described me as such."

Yukine shot his a questioning side-long glance. "And I'm supposed to trust other people's testimonials?"

"I saved your life. Do you really think that I saved it only to kill you a week later?"

Yukine leaned back in his seat and exhaled. "Guess not. Alright, I'll trust you, but I swear I will haunt you if you kill me."

"Fine," Yato said with a shrug. "Then if I die in the accident and you manage to stay alive, you can have my car as compensation."

Yukine's eyes brightened. "You mean it? Awesome!"

"I am not going to die!" Yato had shouted, shaking his head.

Yato wanted to laugh at the memory. I knew I wasn't going to die then, and I wish I could say the same now.


"I'll try calling him again," Yukine said, biting his lip as he brought his phone to his ear for a fourth time. He wasn't expecting an answer, especially since Yato hadn't answered the first three times, but he needed to try again. He couldn't shake this feeling that something had happened to his friend, and with every "It's Yato! Leave a message and I'll consider getting back to you for the price of five yen!" he only worried more.

But Yukine refused to give up hope that Yato would answer, and after three rings, a voice picked up. "Yato's phone!"

Yukine's face hardened, the pit in his stomach deepening. He vaguely recognized the voice. "Who is this?"

Hiyori's face wrinkled into a frown of concern. "Did Yato not answer?"

Yukine shook his head, holding a finger to his lips as the voice replied, "Hmm, ah, yes, Yukine! It's been a while hasn't it? How are your lungs feeling these days, still wet from all the water I made you inhale?"

Yukine grit his teeth, his voice filling with anger. "Fujisaki, where is Yato?"

Fujisaki laughed on the other side of the line. "He's busy taking in some water. He wanted to know what it had been like for you those months ago, though I don't think he's going to make it. He appears to have stopped moving."

"You bastard." Yukine could feel his blood run cold, his arm shaking at his side. He could feel his breathing speed up, anxiety gripping him as tight as Fujisaki's ropes had. His knees felt weak, like they could buckle any moment.

He couldn't lose Yato. As much as he often argued and teased the older boy, Yato was his best friend. Yato was the one who had saved him from Fujisaki's monstrous plans, the first person who really seemed to care about him. And now here his savior lied, dying at the same hands that had almost claimed Yukine.

"If you'd like, you could come to the old bridge," Fujisaki offered. "He isn't dead yet, but I can assure you that I will kill Yato within the next half hour if you don't show up here alone."

"I'll be there," Yukine replied without hesitation.

Yukine could practically hear the grin on Fujisaki's face. "Delightful."

"What's going on?" Hiyori questioned, gathering her stuff together and standing up. She looked to Yukine with concern. "What did Fujisaki do to Yato? Where did he tell you to go?"

Yukine swallowed down the lump in his throat, his eyes distractedly peering at the ground. He found it hard to focus, his mind swirling. "He has Yato at the old bridge. He's drowning him and wants me to meet him there or he'll kill Yato."

"Fine, then we'll go down-"

Yukine's head snapped up. "No. You can't go there, Hiyori. Fujisaki specifically told me to come alone."

"He doesn't know we're meeting up," Hiyori protested, her eyes growing fierce with determination. "I can convince him to give up and go home. He'll listen to me, I'm his girlfriend."

"Do you really think he will? There's a reason he's been doing this all behind your back, Hiyori."

Hiyori's magenta eyes remained unwavering. "He refused to tell me about his participation in this stupid initiation for a reason, right? Don't you think he'll be ashamed of what he's done once he knows that I know? He'll want to talk about it, explain it all to me and then you can get Yato some help."

Yukine pursed his lips. "I don't think it'll be that easy. What if your presence only makes him more violent? What if he kills Yato because he's the one who told you about it in the first place?"

"Then he knows he'll ruin any chance he has with me. Yukine, we don't have time to argue about this. I'm going with you no matter what."

She did have a point, Yukine had to admit. After a moment, Yukine sighed. "Fine."


"Kazuma, sweetie, I'm stuck in traffic," Bishamon said with a groan. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I understand, so please don't fret about it," Kazuma reassured her. He gazed around at the pathway along the water where the two had agreed to meet up at for a date. Bishamon had gone out to visit her friend Ebisu today, so Kazuma had stayed back to finish some homework, which is why he was able to wait at their meeting spot. Ebisu's home was about an hour's drive, and Bishamon was only about twenty minutes out without traffic. "I'll be taking a walk by the lake until you get here. Call me once you arrive and please drive safe."

"Of course. I love you."

Kazuma smiled, a small blush creeping up his cheeks, though no one was around. With Bishamon being his first girlfriend, Kazuma was still getting used to the idea of expressing affection in public. "I love you, too."

Having hung up, he stood up and walked along the path. The light breeze from the lake ruffled his hair as it went, the tulips, dandelions, and lilacs lining the path gently waving back and forth with the breeze. Kazuma had no clue how far along he would walk, but he figured he had plenty of time to wander until Bishamon was due back to campus. He had lucked out with the weather, fortunately; there had been a downpour only a half hour earlier, but now the sun shone down with warm, radiant waves, causing the water on the lake to sparkle.

Ten minutes of a stroll later and Kazuma stumbled across a horrifying scene on the bridge along the lake. He instantly recognized the bloody, unconscious figure of Yato resting along the railing of the bridge. Yato's hair was matted to his face in what Kazuma guessed to be a mix of blood and sweat, his light gray t-shirt clinging to him, wet at the top as if Yato had poured water on it. Standing over him with a gun in hand was Fujisaki Kouto, a grade A jerk that Kazuma had in one of his classes a semester ago. Standing opposite of Fujisaki was a man, baseball bat in hand, by the name of Kugaha, who Kazuma recognized to be an ex-friend of Bishamon's.

Kazuma strolled onto the bridge, stopping a good distance away from Fujisaki and Kugaha. With both men having weapons in hand, Kazuma knew he needed to keep his distance to stay safe. He pointed towards Yato, his eyes trained on Fujisaki. "Have you called a medic for him?"

Fujisaki's hands fell to his sides, recognition and anger – though Kazuma could not explain why he would be angry – flashing in his orange eyes. "Someone is on their way. You can keep walking."

Kazuma heard Yato cough, wheezing in air. "As a friend of Yato's, I think I would like to wait with him until the medic arrives." Kazuma pushed up his glasses, the sunlight reflecting on them. "Well, I would say that if you were telling the truth. But we both know that you aren't. Isn't that correct, Fujisaki Kouto?"

"Kazuma, you and I both know you aren't tough enough to intimidate me," Fujisaki retorted, a playful smile on his lips. He held up the hand with the gun and shook it. "I think we both know that I have the control here." He pointed the gun towards Yato, his eyes meeting Kazuma's. "Leave or I will shoot."

"You would have shot him already if you weren't waiting for something."

Fujisaki kept his gaze on Kazuma as he paused for a moment. "Fair enough." Fujisaki aimed the gun toward Kazuma, cocking it. "Leave or I will shoot you. Is that better?"

Kazuma stared at the barrel of the gun. Any person would have been afraid of his threat, but Kazuma felt strangely calm. Perhaps it was because of the self-defense training he had received his first semester of college, or perhaps it was because Fujisaki did not scare Kazuma the way he scared most people. Sure, Kazuma had never been through an initiation, but he had seen what Fujisaki had done to some of the freshman. He knew Fujisaki had choked some, drowned some, stabbed some, left some in the forest with no clothes in subzero weather, etc., but he had never shot anyone before.

So what made this time different? Kazuma knew Fujisaki had to be desperate to resort to using such a dangerous weapon. Fujisaki felt weak on the inside, and now Kazuma needed to figure out how to use that to tip the odds in his favor.

Kazuma lifted his hands up in surrender. "My apologies, Fujisaki." His eyes wandered the bridge for a moment, falling on Yato, Kugaha, and finally Fujisaki. "I was only trying to help my friend. May I ask one question of you before I depart?"

Fujisaki took a moment to consider what Kazuma had said before nodding. "What do you want to know?"

"How well do you know how to use your gun?"

Fujisaki sent him a distrustful, questioning stare. "I know how to shoot you from where I stand. Now, leave."

Kazuma knew what he was about to do was extremely risky, but he could not walk away and leave Yato in the hands of such a dissolute person. He would never forgive himself if he did. So, Kazuma darted forward. He heard a gunshot ring out, the bullet whizzing behind him as he jabbed his elbow into Kugaha's throat. Kazuma stomped his foot down on Kugaha's foot, using his other hand to whisk the baseball bat from Kugaha's grasp.

Kazuma dove to the ground, somersaulting forward as another gunshot rang out. Kazuma rolled to his feet in time to hear Fujisaki bark an order at Kugaha, the man protesting. While Fujisaki threatened to shoot Kugaha if he protested further, Kazuma darted forward toward Fujisaki. Running in a zig-zag pattern, Kazuma caught Fujisaki off-guard, his orange eyes widening. The boy rounded on Kazuma, shooting bullets into the air like rapid-fire.

Kazuma's prediction had been correct: Fujisaki could only hit still targets. Avoiding the bullets, Kazuma swung the baseball bat at Fujisaki's hand, knocking the gun to the ground. Before Kazuma could rejoice in victory, Kugaha tugged on the back of his sweatshirt and pulled Kazuma away from Fujisaki. Kazuma spun around to swing at Kugaha with the baseball bat, but before he could connect a hit, Fujisaki's arm was around his neck, a knife glinting in his hand.

The knife pressed against Kazuma's throat, though it did not break skin. "Drop the bat," Fujisaki commanded, calm anger in his voice as he spoke into Kazuma's ear. "I will slit your throat if you don't."

Kazuma dropped the bat immediately, fear beginning to course through his veins. He had been banking on Fujisaki feeling weak and powerless once the gun was out of his hands. He had counted on taking advantage on that moment of weakness to knock Fujisaki and Kugaha out before tending to Yato. Where had his calculations gone wrong?

Fujisaki grabbed one of Kazuma's arms and twisted it behind his back. "Kugaha, get the rope. Looks like we get to initiate this one while we wait."

"Wait! I'm here!" called out Yukine, running onto the bridge. "Fujisaki, you don't have to initiate anyone!"

Kazuma glanced at his roommate, the boy stopping a few feet away. His roommate brushed some of his blonde hair out of his face, tugging on his Fall Out Boy concert t-shirt. "Yukine? What are you doing here?" Kazuma questioned, though Fujisaki's hold only tightened because of it.

"It's about time you showed up," Fujisaki barked at Yukine.

"Let Kazuma go," Yukine said, holding his hands in front of him to mean no harm. "He has nothing to do with this."

Fujisaki chuckled. "He tried to intervene with my plans. The last person to do that was Yato. I do not intend to allow anyone else to make a mockery of me, Yukine. You do understand, don't you?"

Kazuma could see the fear hiding in Yukine's eyes, mixed with pleading. "What are you going to do to him?"

"I haven't decided, actually," Fujisaki said, turning the knife until it rested against Kazuma's cheek. "I could give your face a makeover. I'm sure Bishamon would love that, wouldn't she?"

Kazuma stiffened. "Don't you dare bring her into this."

"Hit your weak point, didn't I?" Fujisaki laughed. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

"What do you plan to do with Yato?" Yukine asked, earning Fujisaki's attention once more. His eyes met Kazuma's as if to apologize, though Kazuma could see something else in Yukine's eyes. Did he have a plan?

"I'm going to make him suffer. Isn't that obvious?" Fujisaki pointed his knife in Yato's direction. "He humiliated me, so it's time I return the favor. And you, little Yukine, are going to help me do it."

"Fujisaki, I wouldn't dare."

Kazuma could feel Fujisaki's body tighten, his hold on Kazuma growing tighter. "Hiyori?" Fujisaki breathed, as if he had seen a ghost. "No. You can't be here…"

A/N: 1 more chapter until we are finished! Thank you for your support and reviews, as always! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

-LivingTheSPNLife