Chapter 9:
Bared Fangs
"Taking a turn for the worst is putting it mildly," Alejandro concluded in his grim thoughts. His eyes were bloodshot and had prominent bags under them. While seemingly absent at first, the teen's dreams had soon turned into an endless sequence of running of something, of some… crimson-eyed beast who stopped at nothing to reach him and shred him to pieces with its abnormally large claws. Several times Al had woken up and several times he had tried going back to sleep- only to end up in the vile clutches of his REM induced visions once more. In the end he had given up altogether, spending what was left of the night rolling around in his bed, the sheets drenched in sweat a long time ago. The dark-skinned boy was completely alone- Cedric really hadn't come back home that night. Al had kept the vain hope of faring better in the morning but the Universe seemed inclined to torture him to no end. There had been an emergency report on the morning news. After nearly twenty-four hours of barely managing to cover things up, the police had allowed the TV crews on the crime scene. The distressed anchor who could barely keep his stoic persona had strongly advised parents not to let their children watch. Of course, Kanna had been the only adult at the table that morning and, still partially fuming of having had to make breakfast for the 'hormone-driven brats', had only watched the report with almost professional interest herself. As always, Anna had refused to show whatever she had been thinking and Tao Men had just knitted his eyebrows and put down the bottle of milk with badly-hidden disgust. Alejandro had bolted for the bathroom seconds later, barely managing to keep the contents of his minimal breakfast inside until he reached it.
For a split-second the dark-skinned boy had thought he had been seeing all-red once again. The dirty pavement, the graffiti-littered walls, even the rusty overturned garbage bins, everything was splattered red. Bright scarlet and dull crimson painted a vicious canvas of various spots and blotches meters up on the brick walls that surrounded the secluded back alley. Bits and pieces of something that had been human once rolled around in literal pools of blood, the police still having trouble determining the number of victims. An elderly officer practically shaking in his shoes had informed the reporter they hadn't collected all the pieces yet. There was something eerily reminiscent of a broken ribcage embed into one of the walls, what remained of its contents slowly dripping down.
Again and again and again.
"It must have been some kind of rabid animal. Or maybe even a pack of them," the police had claimed. Al wished he didn't know better. The metaphorical cherry on top of the cake had been the announced of another four as of yet undisclosed crime scenes like the one shown. Not only the dark-skinned boy's stomach but even his brain had grinded to a halt back then. He couldn't be responsible for them, too, could he? He remembered everything since waking up. There was no way he could have done that… carnage. His conscience and simple logic spoke otherwise, pointing out to him he could have done it all on the same night… or even just the one before. What if he had sleep-walked during all that time he dreamed of being chased of what was probably himself? But there was not a single drop of blood on him or on the sheets! Al couldn't have changed them as well, could he? But why he hadn't done so the first time around then?
Full of doubt and with constantly twisting stomach empty, Al had barely hefted himself to school. Heck, Men and his duo of bodyguards- the ones that had arrived after the school killer accident- had picked him in their car halfway. Alejandro was too afraid to look at himself in the mirror but had a pretty good idea he must have looked like the living dead- while being the friendliest to him compared to the rest of the transfers, Men wasn't known for being overly generous or sympathetic. And so the Brazilian boy had spend the majority of the day barely paying any attention to the teachers, his heart and stomach twisting every time someone had started discussing the grisly murders. And boy, did everyone like to speculate a lot. Some part of him wondered if anyone would think of an otherwise ordinary high school student such as him being behind the murders. Eventually it was time for PE and Alejandro could finally slump half-alive on the benches while the boys and girls took turns running laps. The gym teacher, while looking like a stereotypical Sergeant Nasty working in a school after a forced retirement, took pity on the Brazilian boy and allowed him to just mope around and watch.
It was an otherwise ordinary day. The sun was shining brightly and only the occasional fluffy white cloud or two dared to crawl across the clear sky. The other students were, naturally, in a great mood. Soon enough the boys were done with their exercise and slumped around Alejandro one by one, some lying down and others giddily chugging down bottled water. The dark-skinned teen, lost in his grim thoughts, showed no indication of acknowledging there were others around him. As the other boys- and the males from the high school choice program- passed their time with leering and assessing their classmates of the fairer sex, Al kept on dwelling on the possibility of being a psychically-unstable mass-murderer. While somewhat amusing, especially the parts where Tsumemaru explained to the shy boy assigned to him his way of assessing girls, the class' banter proved insufficient to distract Alejandro enough. Still, he had to sourly note that evaluating a girl on an 'as sexy as famous baseball player X was good' basis was probably the strangest and most amusing thing he had heard in a long time. If only all that wasn't happening to him, he would have probably been rolling on the ground laughing by then. And judging from using himself as the baseball comparison to Sayuri Nishimura, a girl deemed AA+ in the normal student language, Tsumemaru apparently considered himself God's gift to the game.
"I think you should go to the hospital. Straight there, if I may add. With all due respect, I don't think the school nurse is qualified to attend to you, taking into consideration that you look barely able to stand."
After brushing aside the veil of his dreadlocks, Al came face to face with Tao Men- one of the few not taking part in the whole evaluation conversation. Still, the Chinese boy-genius did throw the occasional look at some of the better-looking girls but since he had strong enough will not to 'lower himself to the level of commoners' and tried to act gentlemanly, Alejandro was willing to let a little hypocrisy slide. After all, Men was on the verge of entering puberty himself.
"Why so concerned suddenly?" asked the Brazilian boy with an eyebrow slightly raised.
"Am I not allowed helping out others from time to time?" shot back the Tao in his usual haughty tone. His wine-red eyes narrowed slightly at Al. "I assure you, I have no ulterior motives in mind."
"That's some suspiciously specific denial, y'know," replied the dark-skinned teen with a forced half-hearted smile.
"If something happens with you there will be only that moronic American and that witch to talk to back at the inn," admitted the white-haired boy after some hesitation and looked away, his pose as proper as ever. Al had the feeling Men had substituted the 'b' with a 'w' only to retain his cultured image.
"So, would you like to have Shu and Kyo drive you over?"
"No, thanks," said Alejandro after some consideration. "I think I'll wait and see how I'm feeling when the classes end."
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Al, pal of mine?"
The familiar voice and the even more familiar sarcasm hidden in the tone made the Brazilian boy look up with interest. And lo, behold- none other than one Cedric Green was standing before him, littered whole with scratches and bruises covered by a myriad of band aids. While a probably beaten up Cedric was an amusing sight, Al took more interest in the little girl accompanying his friend. Well, little wasn't quite the right word to use. She had to be one year away from entering the joyous world of high school to be part of the program and so she was just a bit below average in height for her age. While tired, Al's black eyes quickly glazed over her, the Brazilian boy evaluating what kind of person he was facing on habit. While seemingly a late bloomer, the girl probably wasn't ever going to be anything more than modestly endowed- least it would save her the leers of a certain baseball fan and co. She was slim, with big and wide silvery eyes that would certainly scream 'innocence!' if they could. Her hair, adorned with a butterfly hairclip at one of her twin bangs, was the curious shade of dark to medium blue that was usually encountered only in Japan and reached to her mid-back. While tweaked, Al recognized it as a hime cut or whatever they called it around here- the local equivalent of the princess curls, only straight and framing the face. All in all, the appearance of the cute girl in the uniform of a middle school Al didn't know of was almost… fae. There was something peculiar about her that the dark-skinned teen couldn't quite determine and he just settled for pitying the obviously polite female for being stuck with someone such as Cedric.
"Did some local gang attack you, Green?" asked Men and finally snapped Al out of his musings. "It will be rather unfortunate if something was to happen to you."
"Nope, it was no gang, Men-chan," shot back Cedric, suddenly serious. "I vandalized your car and that gay duo that hauled themselves over from China went all kung-fu on me."
While looking somewhat shocked at the emerald-eyed teen's comment, the blue-haired girl stiffened a slight giggle. Alejandro found himself having to defuse the situation despite his personal problems which were, quite truthfully, way bigger than the two boys' childish fight. And judging by the way Men's face rapidly became a color similar to his eyes, more than words were going to be flung around.
"So, Cedric, what's the name of your friend? Normal people introduce new acquaintances to their friends, y'know."
The wild-haired teen had just opened his mouth when Men suddenly changed the topic again- as if out of spite at Al denying him his fight.
"Not to sound rude or anything, but what's with the contacts, Alejandro? You never struck me as the type. Or are you trying to emulate me?"
Al's brain didn't even register the haughty teasing of the wavy-haired Chinese. Terror gripped his heart at the thought of being somehow stuck with those dreaded crimson eyes constantly. Had he been like that the whole day? Probably- otherwise Men would mention the sudden change and he hadn't spoken to anyone at breakfast so that was why the Tao mentioned it just now. The dark-skinned teen knew all too well that not answering immediately would be suspicious- but he had no idea how to respond either. What if Men somehow miraculously connected him to the murders?
"That, Men-chan, is what happens when one bets against me. I told him not to do it but no! Latino boy just had to try, didn't he?"
The brutal onslaught of his paranoia grinded to a halt when Al met his friend's mischievous emerald eyes. Once again Cedric ended up saving his ass- in the morally dubious way that made the Brazilian think his American friend could slip by even a lie detector. Still, the blue-haired girl behind the Green was suddenly looking somewhat uncertain and… scared?
"And what did happen, precisely?" asked the Tao, eyebrow raised in inquiry. "I would be just thrilled to learn."
"Wouldn't you now? Latino boy should be glad he put up a good fight. Otherwise it would've been the full costume, not just the cool contacts and the fancy manicure."
Alejandro barely resisted jumping in surprise. All he dared do was glance down to his hands- how could he have missed his now curved nails jutting out in such a way? Was he that distracted by his grim deductions or did they gradually grow out during the day? Just great, now Cedric had ended up saving him from something Al didn't even know of. Images of crimson and scarlet veiled his mind again as the young man pictured himself creating that very carnage he had seen on TV with the claws that now adorned his hands. If someone made a connection-
"But!" Cedric exclaimed theatrically way too suddenly and suspiciously for Al and Men not to notice. "Al knowingly faced me in a contest of observation and since one of my many strong points are precise attention to detail and uncanny memory, it is only natural he ended up losing. I knew we should've bet money."
Alejandro paid no attention to his friend's carefully cultivated blatant lies. Cedric's female companion had suddenly frozen on the spot, silvery eyes wide in fear and lower lip quivering. Hell, the slender girl was shaking almost whole and staring at the Brazilian boy as if she had seen a ghost. Or… a monster. Fear and paranoia once again gripped the young man's heart. How could she have known? And so suddenly? If Cedric hadn't swiftly grabbed her hand and squeezed it along with his sudden exclamation she would have surely gasped or even screamed out loud. Cedric's actions hinted to Al that there were some hidden depths between the emerald-eyed deadpan snarker and the blue-haired girl. He somehow knew how she would've reacted. And for some reason she had understood the Green's intention for her to stay put just by a squeeze of a hand.
Still, Cedric was showing no intention of letting go and while looking somewhat uncomfortable, she dared not make him stop. Unfortunate implications were bound to arise because some of the other students soon noticed the American holding hands with a middle school girl. Alejandro searched his brain for some way to inform his friend of the sudden turn of events. But, unsurprisingly, Cedric had a whole 'nother thing in mind…
"After all, how could have Al known what color was the bra Sayuri-chan wore yesterday? I told him time and again "It was pink!" but our passionate South American here was so insistent with his red that he lost our little bet. Ain't I right about the color, Sayuri-chan?" finished Cedric with a shout over his shoulder.
"Curse you, Cedric, CURSE YOU!" were the words that best described how the dumbstruck Alejandro felt about the situation. He did know that Cedric's favorite way of saving him from one mess was to drag him in another but that was just… wow.
The blue-haired girl was now wide-eyed and appalled for a whole different set of reasons, Men's eyebrow was seemingly stuck in an upward arch and the crowd around them was now paying no attention to the misfit duo's joined hands. A familiar voice roared Cedric's full name and one seething Sayuri Nishimura came into view, fists clenched and with a curious blush on her cheeks that hinted at the Green actually been right in his guess.
"I'd like to say 'nice seeing ya' but since boy-genius was here…" dragged out Cedric and threw a look behind him to determine how far was his imminent grievous injury. "Well, Al, pal of mine, Men-chan, I gotta bolt. Sayonara!"
Cedric was suddenly gone just like he had appeared, dragging along the still shocked silver-eyed girl. Al briefly wondered if some teacher was going to make trouble for Cedric just strolling in and out of school that day. And then his train of thought took a sharp U-turn when he noticed Sayuri was now channeling her rage at the one other particular person that had supposedly been part of the nonexistened bet on her choice of underclothes.
Al had found himself forced to flee the scene not long after. While positively hilarious for the onlookers, Sayuri's righteous fury, one he knew full well he didn't deserve, threatened to awake something inside the Brazilian that he would have liked to keep hidden. The otherwise innocent laugh and chatter of the crowd had become an unbearable background noise that was about to drive him insane with its constant buzzing. The lavender-haired girl's rant on manners and inappropriate behavior had started standing out more and more amidst the other voices until hers was all the dark-skinned teen had been able to her. It had been nagging, annoying and Al knew he hadn't deserved it. The beast caged inside him had stirred and had sniffed the air in anticipation, it had prodded the boy's mind in the way that insured its release. Alejandro knew that he had been influenced, knew that just wasn't him but it was all so… so tempting! The bespectacled girl had kept talking on and on, thinking she was oh-so-above him. The young man had had to clench his fists to resist temptation and a mere second later he had felt his newly gained claws draw blood from his torn skin. Sayuri's slender neck had looked so vulnerable and exposed. All it would have taken was one simple small squeeze to shut her up. Or perhaps he should have torn her face off? She was really bad indeed, shouting at him for something he hadn't even done. Oh, she had deserved it that one…
Sayuri had suddenly gasped back then, a hasty action meant to hide her quivering yelp. All the rage that had engulfed him until mere seconds before drained away as the golden-eyed girl took a scared step back. He had scared her, with his mad craving eyes that shone crimson and with the expression that clearly showed his desire to hit something until no one could ever discern what it had been before. Alejandro had felt the pain once again, the searing feeling in his lower abdomen that made him think his insides were on fire. After a hasty half-muttered excuse and after assuring he was out of the class' line of sight he had broken into a run.
And there he was now- a lone trembling boy in a foreign country, forsaken by everyone without them even knowing it. Alejandro was lost in the busy streets of Saitama in more than one sense of the word. The young man didn't know what to do anymore. His… condition was rapidly worsening, worst of all- it was beginning to be even visible. Even going to the hospital was out of the question. Sure, the crazy specialist that had been assigned to observe him during his stay would have gladly helped, even if just to discover the scientific truth behind Alejandro's recent behavior. But things would have never stopped there. The doctor would soon enough report to the police after reaching to the logical conclusions. No mercy would have been shown to a foreigner killing off the local residents in such a brutal manner and it wouldn't be long until he was sent in chains to some insane asylum. Or worse, to some laboratory where they would experiment on him in hopes of finding ways to induce whatever he had in others and control the changes.
Rage swelled up inside Alejandro once again as he realized the world would not even stop turning for a second without him. He was merely an insignificant speck of dust, a cog in a grand machine that couldn't care less whether he was there or not. Everyone around him just passed by without even paying him a second glance. Mothers with jittery children clutching their hands hurried down the streets hoping to get home and dump the heavy bags filled with groceries as soon as possible. Dozens of young couples walked hand in hand among the busy crowds, basking in their love while Al drowned in misery. Numerous no-good small time gangsters and punks strolled casually around like they owned the whole place. Some middle-aged man kept on taking photos of someone inside a small cozy café- most certainly yet another stalker or paparazzi after the latest idol singer. Cars driven by salarymen painfully late for their work zoomed past the teen, outpaced only by the couple of delivery boys that masterfully navigated the urban jungle and traffic jams on their scooters.
All was right in the world- as long as Alejandro wasn't there to break it. And as a mad scowl formed on the dark-skinned teen's distorted lips, he could almost feel his teeth turning into fangs. The desire to paint the whole town, no the whole city, no… the whole world red was becoming unbearable.
Bile rose up Alejandro's throat when he realized what he had been thinking. And, disgusted with himself, the boy just forced his staggering feet to go forward, away from those that he could hurt. All he could do was walk away- and hope none ever went after him. Maybe he would end up lucky for once, chalked up as one of the victims of the very beast he actually was? "Yeah, that'd be nice," concluded the boy in his jumbled thoughts…
The very familiar feeling of losing his sure footing and gravity dragging him down suddenly overcame Alejandro as someone jolting out of the very café he had overlooked earlier crashed straight into him. The numerous bumps on the back of his head-all results from similar accidents nonetheless- protested in pain when they once again kissed the surface of the hard pavement. Al's vision was obscured by whoever had fallen on top of him but the painfully familiar feeling of two round squishy things shoved into his face and the aroma of lilies that filled his nostrils hinted at Murphy 's Law once again being the sole one at work in Alejandro's life. The teen vaguely remembered he had decided to apologize to Ayame for the previous such accident but the day had been so terrifyingly awful that he had completely forgotten. Not that it mattered anymore. All the Brazilian boy had to do was nod his head, mutter he was sorry and shrug off a couple of slaps or punches. Then, he would just continue on his less than merry way until he was somewhere far, far away.
"Oh, it's you!"
To say that the cheerfulness in Ayame's voice took him by surprise would have been an understatement. Instead of shouting or slapping him, the energetic girl quickly got up and helped him along as well, running her mouth all the while.
"This is becoming somewhat of a routine, y'know? Never mind, I'm kinda guilty this time so I'll let it slide. About yesterday… look, I should've knocked and all that and I definitely shouldn't have hit you! I was just very… surprised, is all. Will you please, please, PLEASE forgive me?"
Struggling to comprehend the barrage of words, Alejandro stared with surprise at her wide pleading eyes colored sparkling black. With hands if in prayer and a cheerfully apologetic smile on her face, Ayame certainly gathered quite a few looks by the passing crowd. Afraid of any attention paid to his rather… beastly self by proxy, Al quickly accepted her apology and tried leaving with the excuse he had some work to do. Needless to say, such things never worked with his spazzy peer.
"Can I help? It's not something shady, right? Oooh, maybe you are part of some local gang and you're going to beat up some rivals all by yourself? That'd be… well, illegal but cool nonetheless. And what's with that getup anyway? By the way, that reminds me! Did you hear about the attacks of that mysterious beast? Of course you have, everybody has! Silly me. So, what do you think it is? A crazed mass-murderer? Aliens? Maybe a werewolf? Hmm, I wonder if it has something to do with that disappeared little boy that they reported on the news later today…"
The girl's words passed by Alejandro's mind without even being noticed, his thoughts once again busy with his sins once she had brought up the subject. The desire to run away became stronger and stronger until the dark-skinned teen could barely keep himself from sprinting down the street and out of Tokyo, without ever looking back. Al hesitantly slowed down his pace until he eventually stopped and forced himself to talk to his loudmouth peer.
"Look, Ayame, I really have to go. Besides, are you skipping school, too, or something?"
The girl, still in her school uniform, playfully knocked her head and shook it.
"Gosh, I'm acting just so silly today! I was waiting at the café for that boy that I'm working with on the program. He lives just around the block and had to get some things so I stopped by for a drink 'till he's ready. Shoot, I completely forgot about that! I was on my way to his house when I bumped into you and you distracted me. That's very unkind of you, y'know," berated him the girl and wagged her finger with a cheerful smile. "But he was late, too, anyway. Well, I guess we part ways here. Till next time, Al-kun!"
Self-pity or not, the Brazilian teen couldn't help but chuckle at Ayame's antics, much less using a shortened version of his given name. The majority of people in their school would have came to quite untruthful conclusion had they heard her act so familiar with him. Hah, and she had accused him of acting like that. Hypocrite.
Still, Al was scared that if he didn't go now he could never force himself to. Steeling himself, the dark-skinned teen sent one last parting look at the girl running in the distance, her short midnight-black hair billowing behind her as she zoomed past the appalled passer-bys. Alejandro shook his head and headed in the opposite direction with a dry chuckle. He would miss all that, her and Cedric, and Anna and Hana's antics and even Men's self-centered behavior of an insufferable genius. And Tsumemaru's baseball talk and the wackiness of the BoZ brothers and… just everything. But, alas, he had to go. For the better of everyone.
Unless…
What could only be described as animal instincts stirred up deep inside the boy. The beast that Al desired so much to keep hidden sniffed the air and narrowed its crimson eyes. The last Alejandro had seen of Ayame was her swerving into some back alley shortcut to save some time… and that man with the camera had 'inconspicuously' followed her soon after. The cogs in the Brazilian's brain went to work with a tired screech, somewhat happy of having to dwell on something other than mysterious murders and animalistic carnage. Ayame had been in that café, the one the middle-aged creep had been observing through his camera. Al had chalked him up as some paparazzi but even if there had really been some star undercover there, why leave his post and slip into the dark corners of Saitama where no one with good intentions and enough common sense usually went? Could he have been stalking Ayame? She certainly could gather the looks of many a men with utmost ease and in a bustling metropolis such as Tokyo, anything was possible…
Alejandro hadn't even noticed when he had started backtracking, his pace quickly growing faster and faster until he broke into a sprint despite the protests of the pedestrians. Soon enough he had dived deep into the shadier parts of Saitama. For once his heightened senses served him well- the scent of lilies was like a visible trail of crumbs in the labyrinth of one-way alleys and wooden fences. The aroma became stronger and stronger, until eventually his perked up ears caught her voice as well. There wasn't horror or anything similar in it. On the contrary, it was more angry than anything else, her words berating someone that Al was yet to see. After turning around one last corner his peer finally came into view- furiously struggling in the clutches of the grinning man, who was too busy to notice the newcomer while trying to unbutton the girl's shirt. Despite the attacker brandishing a knife, she struggled and kicked and talked even more than usual. Alas, her efforts were in vain- however strong she was, she was just a small girl to the grown-up man.
"You…"
His insides twisted like burning snakes and he had to lean on the wall for support but despite all the pain, despite all the regret for his previous sins… this time, Alejandro searched for the rage consciously. The man's sick laughter resonated in his ears and gave him a target, something he could focus all his pent-up fury on. The beast inside the boy roared triumphantly.
"You…"
Al could vaguely discern his fingers, no- his claws digging five deep crevices into the brick wall as he clenched them into a fist. Flashes of red obscured his vision and the dark-skinned teen gleefully felt his razor-sharp teeth cutting his dried lips when he spread them into an insane slasher smile. Ayame noticed him first, started shouting something Al didn't even discern. The creep noticed him as well and pointed the knife at him. The man was trembling whole, his shaking hand barely able to hold his puny weapon. Indeed, Al could literally smell his fear and it tasted so… ecstatic. Yes, this man truly deserved what he was going to get.
"You BASTARD!"
Debris erupted from the wall as Alejandro jolted forward, right hand still stuck in the bricks and driving a wide horizontal crevice through the wall ,tearing it apart as if it was nothing but paper. The creep didn't even have time to cower in fear- in an instant Al was upon him, mad laughter turning into a vicious victorious howl, and driving his right fist into the man's face. The strangest of pleasant emotions filled the boy's being as he felt bone and skin shatter under the pressure and he didn't even pay attention when the bones in his own hand finally caved in and broke due to the impact. Warm blood showered the dark-skinned teen's face as the man's face literally dented and he was sent flying a dozen of meters behind. The creep ended his forced flight into the wooden fence at the back of the alley, shattering it into toothpicks in the process.
Alejandro knew Ayame was clutching his free arm, trying to pull him back and chattering his ear off in the process. But he paid no heed to the girl, instead just lovingly stared at the broken teeth embed into his own bleeding knuckles, even his fingers deformed and bulging at the strangest of places where his bones had broken. Yes, love was the right word. Alejandro was already in love with his own carnage. All thoughts of running away fled the boy's mind. In all his live he had never felt so… alive. Al knew, just knew, that if he embraced this side of his he would never have to fear for his health or well-being ever again. No sickness or foe would be able to beat him. Not then, not now, not ever.
Miraculously alive, Ayame's assailant shakily got back on his wobbling legs and attempted to run away from his inhuman foe. Al's killer grin, if it was even possible, grew wider. It was child's play to shrug off the girl and pounce at the fleeting coward. It was an uncanny jump, more akin to a supernatural predator than a human teen. Not caring for his own injuries, Alejandro once again pulled back his right hand and prepared to end it all the moment he landed on top of the man…
At least, that's what would have happened if someone hadn't somehow grabbed his ankle in mid-flight and hadn't flung him backwards into the already ruined brick wall.
"And what do we have here? I came expecting some no good gangbangers mugging a pretty lady and all I get is some grumbling beastie that has already saved the cute girl? Meh, today just isn't my day, is it?"
The speaker was… downright bizarre. A freakish, insane, uncanny, extraterrestrial, tremendously fantastic foot long pompadour that glittered under the minimal amount of sunlight reaching the shady area was attached to the head of the man. The man was middle aged, sporting the tackiest of Elvis Presley high collar suits and even stupider star-shaped sunglasses. A half-burnt cigar was clutched between the man's teeth, lips curved into a knowing smirk. The man somehow achieved the almost impossible feat of making Alejandro even angrier. How dared that weirdo deny him his prey? And was he a moron? Who in their right mind would dare oppose someone such as Al anyway? Maybe that… drill-like thing on his head was some eldritch abomination controlling the idiot's brain? That had got to be it, concluded the Brazilian in his muddled with bloodlust mind and kneeled in preparation to jump at his new opponent. Cthulhu's cousin or not, that thing was going to end up in tiny shreds if Al had any say in the matter.
His surprise grew even bigger when, despite his newly-found supernatural speed, the man dodged his left claw with an almost casual step back. Still, his elongated fingernails left five bloody gashes on the weirdo's torso. However shallow, they did draw blood. And that was enough to motivate Al even further. Taking advantage of the failed swipe the boy used his left hand as balance to flip himself over. The mid-air roll ended up with the Brazilian executing an almost perfect right hook. One that ended easily deflected into the nearest wall, the teen's already broken fingers suffering even more from the impact. Ignoring the pain, Alejandro turned around for another go with face distorted in anger and bloodlust. Alas, he only ended up with the man's own right fist in said face. However tall and muscular the man was, Al didn't expect it to hurt so much. This time he was the one sent backwards and the boy found himself digging the claws of his uninjured hand into the concrete to grind himself to a halt.
"Bravo!" said the weird man and clapped his long hands, ending in appropriately long fingers. He took off his sunglasses and tucked them safely inside his breast pocket before adding, "But I've no time to waste with you, brat. If you're gonna pull off some miracle, I suggest you do it now."
Words couldn't describe Alejandro's fury. A cloud of dust rose in the air behind him as the teen lunged forward with bared claws, ready to slice the man in dices if that was what it took to shut him up. He was so close- his curved nails could almost touch the man's nose- when Alejandro suddenly found himself with the sole of the weirdo's shoe in his face. Like the recoil of a spring, the man stomped down his abnormally long leg with vicious force, Al's nose finally giving up under the pressure and breaking. Ayame's shouts for them to stop, angry that they weren't listening and not actually too concerned for his well-being, reached his ears. Alas, with head continuously grinded into the ground there wasn't much Alejandro could actually do. His left hand somehow found its way to the man's ankle, claws digging deep and ready to crush the bone in pieces.
"Ah-ah! Not so fast, gringo."
It wasn't the man's words that scared him. No, they meant nothing to him- except a few good reasons to get even angrier and run even wilder. It was the presence that he felt, some… thing appearing nearby so suddenly that it had to have just materialized out of thin air. Actual fear gripped the dark-skinned teen's heart and he struggled to get free. Alas, it was in vain. His muffled howls were the only kind of protest allowed by the strange man that kept on pinning him down. And then it entered Al's field of vision. A tiny green lizard sprawled around the man's shoulder, certainly out of place but otherwise inconspicuous enough for most people to shrug it off. But not Al- oh no. The instincts that had served him so well until a minute ago were positive- it meant trouble.
Big, big trouble.
With an almost mocking hiss, the lizard lunged at the struggling boy and brought alongside all-consuming darkness. Ayame's protests still rung in Al's ears…
TBC