All hail genius, Kubo-sensei. I really don't know what I did for fun before Bleach. Also, always, a big THANK YOU to Jace2pt4, Fairyprncss5678, and coraz. And thanks to everyone who has read every chapter thus far.
Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is full of love and happiness for each of you.
Xoxo, YamatosSenpai
Part XIV: The Piazza Navona
"You must try the gnocchi!" the small framed man insisted, pushing the soup and dumplings toward Jushiro. "Eat! Eat! You are all too thin!" He plopped a bowl down in front of Shunsui before patting his stomach with a smile. "Except you, you are a good size!"
Shunsui looked down at the stranger's hand on his stomach and he tilted his head, chuckling awkwardly. "Err, thank you?"
"What is this?" Jushiro asked, prodding a semolina dumpling with his spoon.
"It's Italian food." Coyote answered simply, spooning heaps of gnocchi into his mouth. "Second only to French cuisine."
"Must all European food swim?" Jushiro groaned, stabbing the gnocchi with distaste.
"Eh? He doesn't like my Grandmother's gnocchi? I give him something else!" the petite man snatched the plate of offending food from in front of Jushiro and bowed apologetically. "Someone tell him, I bring him something much better."
"You're being rude, Ukitake-san," Coyote groaned, polishing off the meal and smacking his lips. "Italians are sensitive."
"Well, my apologies, but I have a fickle stomach." Jushiro explained, forcing a cheerful smile as the small man buzzed around them. "And it doesn't help that I can never understand what anyone is saying. It gets rather annoying."
"You've got a hundred years to learn…" Coyote pointed out dryly.
"Fine." Jushiro crossed his arms, arching a dark brow in frustration. "You will teach me French."
"Fine. Easy. You should have learned when we were in France, though." Coyote pointed out, the frustration from the night before still fresh in his mind.
"Since we have a hundred years, you should probably learn how to fight then, eh?" Jushiro commented, merely nodding as a steaming blob of tomato paste was placed in front of him.
"Would you like parmesan?" the man asked, looking from Coyote to Shunsui for an answer.
"No cheese." Shunsui shook his head in response. "Thank you."
"I know how to fight." Coyote replied, snapping his fingers loudly for a refill of wine.
"That is a joke." Jushiro sat back in his chair and stuck his fork into the breast of fried chicken. He lifted the entire piece to his lips and began to tear at the flesh with his teeth. The red sauce dripped down his chin and onto his kimono, but he paid it no mind as he met Coyote's gaze.
"I know how to fight." Coyote repeated.
"You know how to stumble about until you wound your opponent. That is not a skill." Jushiro wiped across his face with a rag. "You teach me to speak French and I will teach you to fight. If I am ignorant for only speaking the languages that I required, you are ignorant for being unable to defend yourself… and you can't. You rely on that thing's power…"
"I started fencing when I was four years old! I am a Vicomte! I obviously have…"
"Let me see then." Jushiro stated calmly. "Fencing is perfect, kendo is my forte after all." Jushiro turned to look at Shunsui who simply shrugged before staring down at his half eaten plate. "You think I am being difficult, Kyoraku-san? I am not being difficult, I am being rational. If I am expected to learn every single silly language from Japan to Hell then Coyote can admit he isn't a fighter."
"Okay, okay… after dinner we spar." Coyote waved his hands peaceably.
"And for the record, the only reason the two of you can speak and understand these people is that thing's power as well…" Jushiro picked up his knife and began to cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. "Please remember that everything I do must come from my own talent and ability."
"I apologize, Ukitake-san, I am not feeling like myself today." Coyote sighed heavily. "I just feel like…"
The door of the restaurant swung open, the wind sending it banging against the wall loudly. It was a tremendous uproar as the wind seemed to howl, the noise raising the hairs on the back of Shunsui and Coyote's neck. Three men stepped inside, their entire bodies shrouded with heavy travelling cloaks.
"The tavern, down the alley and across the way," the man spoke, his gruff voice thickly accented.
"The Humble Holly?" the waiter offered unsurely.
"Yeah." The man spoke from the entry way, he dropped the cloak down from around his face and peered around the restaurant. "They are all dead. Murdered. Ravaged as if by some foul beast…" Coyote and Shunsui exchanged a look.
There was a fearful murmur spreading throughout the restaurant. Someone ran out to find the constabularies and many more ran toward the shady little tavern, driven by morbid curiosity. "There is a beast among you, if you want to live join me at the Piazza Navona in one hour."
"And who are you, Sir?" Coyote asked, looking over the middle aged man's face with uncertainty. He was a rugged man, heavily scarred and broad shouldered. He wore his dark hair long, with a mustache currently popular only in Bavaria.
"Meet me at Piazza Navona." The man drawled, his dark eyes burning into Coyote. "I loathe repeating myself." And without another word the man turned, spinning on his heeled boots and heading out the door, his two silent companions in tow.
"He's merry." Shunsui commented with a frown.
"Oh, my dear friend, Signor Ky-Ky-yo-rock-koo," the waiter wagged his finger in gesture. "That man is no good. Oh no. He's the scariest man in Rome." The waiter paused in thought before adding, "He's a monster hunter from Prussia or someplace the like. He should just go back."
"Monster hunter?" Coyote asked, exchanging a glance with Shunsui. "That's an odd sort of occupation, is it not?"
"I don't believe in monsters." The small framed waiter confessed, busying himself with the plates on the table. "But I do believe in the Holy Father… and if the Holy Father is real so is the Devil… and that man always brings death, like a devil."
"Death? How so?" Shunsui questioned, his interest unquenchably piqued.
"Piero!" the withered woman in the kitchen bellowed touchily. "Hold your tongue."
"Yes, Nonna!" the waiter replied sheepishly. "Anything else I can get you, signores?"
"Ah, yes, please tell me how to get to the Piazza Navona." Coyote requested politely, a charming smile splaying his lips.
In less than an hour there had gathered a sizable crowd in the Piazza Navona. Shunsui, Coyote and Jushiro stood together, speaking in hushed tones, even though no one there could possibly understand Japanese. "I don't like this. We should just go," Shunsui breathed.
"We have to know what's going on." Coyote countered.
"You return to the inn." Jushiro suggested kindly. "I will stay and keep the young'un out of trouble."
"You won't be of much use with Italian." Coyote pointed out.
"I will still be of use if you encounter danger." Jushiro refuted quickly.
"I'm the strongest, I have to stay…" Shunsui groaned. "I just don't want to."
"Strongest?" Coyote and Jushiro remarked at the same time. They smiled at one another tersely before eyeing Shunsui with disdain.
"Ah, come on, you two aren't dragging me into your little tiff…" Shunsui shook his head and raised his hands in a peaceable gesture. "I simply mean, brute force, I am clearly the strongest one."
The sun had fallen from the sky and the plaza was lit by firelight. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time. Jushiro wished to brush his hand across the Fontana del Moro, he desired to touch the cool stone of the four magnificent tritons. He moved forward, suddenly aware of some outside force compelling him from his spot between Shunsui and Coyote.
He walked quickly, slinking through the crowd with ease. He reached up a pale hand, caressing the sculpted Moor with interest. The stone Moor stood upon a conch shell, wrestling a dolphin between his thighs and, to be honest, Jushiro couldn't understand the piece.
"It was supposed to be Neptune, God of the Sea," Jushiro turned toward the source of the information, a tall man with long fair hair.
"I cannot understand you." Jushiro admitted with a shake of his head.
A gust of wind whipped through the plaza and Jushiro brushed aside his loose hair impatiently. A large man stepped onto the basin of the opposite fountain, the Fontana del Nettuno, his heavy boots pounding against the marble. He dropped the hood of his white cloak and smiled menacingly. "My name is Yhwach."
Whispers began to circulate through the crowd and the fair haired man speaking to Jushiro disappeared. Jushiro searched the crowd for Shunsui and Coyote before sitting down on the Fontana del Moro. They most likely hadn't even noticed his absence.
"Many of you know me already." Yhwach added slowly. He looked over the crowd, his dark eyes narrowed. "I am the Monster Hunter of Wandenreich."
Jushiro sighed, adjusting the sash around his waist. He studied the crowd's reaction to the brusque man's speech. He couldn't know for sure but it seemed that the man frightened many of the Romans. But those who weren't frightened clearly displayed an insolent attitude of frivolity.
Jushiro pulled his haori more tightly around himself as the chill of the night reached his bones. He covered his mouth with the fabric, breathing deeply into the humid air. He began to cough slowly and it built until his entire body heaved with a violent force. His throat burned, his chest tightened and blood sprayed onto his haori and kimono. He stood up and moved away from the curious onlookers, heading for the protection of a large construction.
The building would be beautiful once it reached completion but for now it was cold and empty. Jushiro leaned against the façade and doubled over, doing his best to protect his nose and mouth from the cold outside air. In a few minutes the man would finish his speech and Shunsui and Coyote would come find him. He scolded himself silently on the very thoughts inside his head. He wished for them. He needed them. I don't feel good, he wanted to tell them. I just need some sleep.
As he had predicted, Shunsui and Coyote hadn't noticed Jushiro slipping away. Their every thought was on the man before them, this Yhwach of Wandenreich. His long black hair and severe mustache were at odds with the crisp, tasteful white uniforms that he and the two other men wore.
"So you say we have monsters? This is Roma! Of course we do!"
"Show us some proof or something!"
"The Humble Holly had it comin'! Nothing but low lifes!"
"Pack animals." Yhwach murmured under his breath, so low that surely no one but his two companions could hear. "People are stupid."
"How are you going to find them?" Coyote called out, his blue eyes scanning Yhwach. "How are you going to stop them?"
"They will show themselves in due time," Yhwach answered simply, his head turning ever so slightly in Coyote's direction. His pitch black eyes seemed to quiver in the firelight and a smiled twisted his stern face. "And I'm going to kill them."
"Well, it sounds like you have a plan. Why call a meeting at all? Won't these people simply get in your way?" Coyote continued, his accent twisting his words sloppily.
"Are you a fear monger?"
Yhwach stood silently as he watched Coyote, looked him over, from head to toe. At last Yhwach smiled, but there was no confusion on Coyote's part that Yhwach was not impressed. "Rome needs to know what is happening to Rome and how much worse it could get."
"You want neighbor to turn on neighbor?" Coyote suggested and Shunsui cleared his throat pointedly.
"You have gone too far." Shunsui hissed in Japanese, wringing his hands over Coyote's shoulders. "Don't draw so much attention to yourself." Or me, he wanted to add.
"I am not on a witch hunt, Mister…?" Yhwach began slowly.
"Coyote Starrk."
"Mister Starrk, I am not hear to haul every beautiful young woman with covetable assets into the streets. I am not here for the infirm or the cripples. And I certainly do not hunt Gypsies…" Yhwach explained patiently but Coyote recognized the pretense. Yhwach was mad and he did not like Coyote's questions one bit. "I am looking for able bodied men with the powers of the Devil. These men all have certain characteristics. I do not bend these to my whim, they are absolute."
Yhwach nodded at his companions and the youth stepped forward. He smirked, running his hands over his most peculiar hairstyle. His head was shaved on both sides with a strip of long hair that stood up on end. Coyote had heard of several overseas British colonies sporting such a look, but it was absolute chaos to be seen in Europe.
"Good evening, gents." The young man shouted, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets. "They call me H, The Heat of the Wandenreich." Coyote arched a brow contemplatively; eyeing the young man's knee high boots with derision. "I will tell you three easy ways to identify a monster among you…"
"One, shifters, as we have come to know them, are nearly impervious to mortal weapons. I've taken off fingers that have grown back in the time to takes to reload a crossbow. Shifters do not heal fast, they regenerate." The Heat of the Wandenreich, H, smiled, looking from Yhwach to the other man proudly.
"Two, shifters are hot blooded." H clasped his hands behind his back. "They cannot sweat, therefore their heat accumulates inside. A shifter is not just warm to the touch, they are uncomfortably so. To touch them would be to touch a roasting spit. Such great heat would also travel through the hair and clothes."
"And the third way to identify a shifter is by their brands. These would look like nothing more than a scar to the untrained eye. A scar, a birthmark… But if you look at the blemish, you can see, clearly visible, that the shifter has been branded with a number."
The crowd was uproarious as each Roman inspected his neighbor for one of the three signs. Coyote had to shout again and again before his question was finally heard. "Why a number? What does that mean?"
H turned and looked at Yhwach and the three men were silent for a long moment. Yhwach stepped forward, hopping down from the fountain basin. He strode through the crowd and stopped a few feet in front of Coyote. He forced a smile but Coyote didn't bother to return it. "You are a very curious boy."
"Oh? I don't know about that." Coyote replied dismissively.
"Where are your parents? Do they know their son is out so late? Rome is a dangerous place especially for handsome little boys…" Yhwach breathed out.
"My Father is at home in France and my Mother is dead." Coyote divulged, dropping his head forward and looking up at Yhwach with wide blue eyes. "And as for the other, Rome is safe now that you're here, right? I mean your tastes don't bend that way, do they?" Yhwach's jaw twitched and Coyote smiled.
"Let me tell you something," Yhwach continued. "I could smell your stench from the fountain."
"Coyote, shut the fuck up now." Shunsui barked in Japanese. He grabbed a fistful of Coyote's hair and knocked his head forward in a bow. "He's sorry to be such a pain, Mr. Yhwach," Shunsui growled, digging his nails into Coyote's neck. "Please forgive a mouthy child."
"You should keep your whore on a tighter leash." Yhwach whispered menacingly. "I would hate for him to get you into trouble someday as well."
"Most people don't get riled up by a child…" Coyote retorted.
"Okay," Shunsui shook his head vehemently. "Go! Get! Wait for me."
"Sure." Coyote backed up, his blue eyes piercing into Yhwach angrily.
"I am sorry." Shunsui apologized. "My friend can be an imbecile."
"Friend, huh?" Yhwach replied tersely. "Friends are for the weak minded. Quincys don't have friends. We have structure and discipline and if your friend causes a scene again, my friends will take care of him…"
"Not necessary." Shunsui raised his hands in a peaceable gesture. "He didn't cause any harm and you'll probably never see us again."
"Good." Yhwach turned, his white cloak flowing behind him.
Shunsui stood in stunned silence for a few moments before slowly shaking his head. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Which part? I hate repeating myself." Yhwach called over his shoulder.
"You said you were from Wandenreich…" Shunsui spoke slowly.
"Yes."
"Ah… what's a Quincy then?" And there he had it. The horrible sinking feeling he had been feeling all day. The absolute terror he felt when he heard the pounding of their boots on marble.
"I am a Quincy. We are men chosen by God and the church to hunt down the Devil."
"Good luck." Shunsui said simply before turning and walking through the crowd.
Shunsui's shoulder knocked against Coyote's roughly. He hooked his arm around Coyote's and bumped his head against the smaller man's furiously. "I could murder you right now," Shunsui hissed into Coyote's ear. "Are you trying to get us all tortured and killed?"
"I'm sorry." Coyote breathed heavily, wincing in pain as Shunsui's nails dug into his forearm. "That type of guy just pisses me off the most…"
" .Quincys!" Shunsui chewed his words anxiously. "Does that ring a bell?"
"Where's Ukitake-san?" Coyote paused, trembling on his legs as Shunsui collided into the back of him. Coyote looked around the crowded plaza, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He inhaled deeply and nodded his head in the direction of the Sant'Agnese, a church currently under construction.
Jushiro looked around as he wiped his mouth with the wide sleeve of his kimono. The large mustachioed man had finished speaking and disappeared into the adjacent tavern but the square was still alive with conversation and activity. "I'm ready to go home now," Jushiro muttered to himself.
A shadow loomed over Jushiro and he looked up at the fair-haired man from the fountain. He was thinner than Jushiro had originally noted but handsome, even despite his frown. He extended his hand and shook Jushiro's politely. "My name is Jugram Haschwalth."
"I cannot understand you." Jushiro replied absently, scanning the crowd for Shunsui and Coyote.
"Je M'appelle Jugram Haschwalth," the man repeated in French. "Mein name ist Jugram Haschwalth," the man spoke quickly in German, clearly his native language. "My name is Jugram Haschwalth." "Mitt namn är Jugram Haschwalth." "Nazywam się Jugram Haschwalth." "Meu nome é Jugram Haschwalth." "Is é mo ainm Jugram Haschwalth." "내 이름은 Jugram Haschwalth입니다."
Jushiro's eyes widened in surprise. "My name is Jushiro Ukitake," Jushiro spoke in Korean. "I am Japanese."
"I'm afraid I don't know any Japanese." Jugram admitted, a smile twisting ever so slightly at the corner of his mouth. "I wanted to ask you if you've seen a doctor."
"A doctor?" Jushiro repeated unsurely.
Jugram ran his palm over Jushiro's chest, his fingers brushing softly across his throat. "For your cough?"
"Ah, yes." Jushiro replied with a sigh. "I have."
"Your health is failing." Jugram commented. "You should go again."
"Are you reaching the limits of your Korean?" Jushiro asked with a laugh.
"Ah, yes, you've found me out." Jugram's face twitched as he suppressed a smile. "I'm afraid my Korean is very bad as well."
"Ukitake-san!" Coyote called out as he approached. He glowered at Jugram as he came to stand in front of Jushiro protectively. "Is this guy bothering you?"
"Hardly." Jushiro snapped in embarrassment. He stepped out from behind Coyote and offered another smile to Jugram. "This is Jugram Haschwalth."
"My name is Jugram Haschwalth," Jugram nodded toward Coyote and extended his hand politely. After a long stretch he looked down at Coyote's gloved hand at his side and lowered his own. "You should take your friend to the doctor." Jugram spoke in French. "He is very sick."
"Thank you for your concern." Coyote replied impatiently before turning to Jushiro, "Let's get back to the tavern. We need to go. Now."
"Good evening," Jushiro spoke in Korean politely. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Haschwalth."
"The pleasure was all mine." Jugram returned with a nod of his head.
"Yo! Jugo! Are ya comin'?" H, as he was called, yelled from the opposite end of the square, waving his arms above his head wildly.
"I believe in absolute fairness." Jugram spoke to Coyote, ignoring his companion's loud taunts. "I'll warn you, as you two are now, you have no chance against us."
"Excuse me? What do you mean?" Coyote sputtered in surprise.
"As Lord Yhwach said, we could smell you from across the plaza." Jugram studied Coyote's reaction objectively.
"Ukitake-san, go back to the tavern, check on Shunsui. Now!" Coyote demanded gruffly, his low voice almost a growl. He swallowed slowly and closed his eyes for a moment, his brain racing wildly. "What do you intend to do?"
"Well, you have already separated yourself from both of your companions." Jugram tilted his head from side to side slowly. "I could very easily kill you where you stand."
"Well, you'll have to stab me in the back." Coyote called over his shoulder as he turned, walking quickly toward the tavern.
"You've left a very bloody trail, Mr. Starrk." Jugram's voice followed Coyote across the plaza. "It will be too easy to find you again."
Coyote inhaled through his nose and out through his mouth in an attempt to stop hyperventilating. He hurried into the tavern and up the stairs. He threw open the door of their suite and threw himself down at Shunsui's feet. "I fucked up."
Shunsui exchanged a look with Jushiro and Jushiro nodded in understanding. He stood up quickly and began to hurriedly pack their meager belongings. "Coyote…" Shunsui began unsurely, surprised as Coyote took hold of his hand and began to press desperate kisses all over it.
"Shunsui, I fucked up… I fucked up so badly." Coyote groaned miserably, his mouth pressed to Shunsui's large, warm hand. He rubbed his cheek against Shunsui's hand and Shunsui shuddered involuntarily. His body reacted strongly to Coyote's submissive state, his wolf instincts sending heat to his groin.
"We're leaving." Shunsui muttered, using his other hand to softly pat Coyote's head.
"They know what we look like, they know our names…" Coyote dropped his body lower to the floor wretchedly. He wrapped his free hand around Shunsui's leg, resting his head on his thigh.
"They are waiting for something." Shunsui noted, leaning back on the bed to look out the window. "And I don't plan on waiting around to find out why."
"We're ready." Jushiro announced, cradling the silver urn to his chest.
"Come on, get up, let's go," Shunsui spoke soothingly as he rose to his feet. Coyote's hand snaked up his thigh as he obediently climbed to his feet. Shunsui swallowed with difficulty as he brushed a thick curl from Coyote's forehead. "Are you afraid?" Shunsui asked, almost disbelieving the way that Coyote was acting.
"Yes." Coyote admitted without hesitation. "Aren't you?"
"Of course, but… you… I've never seen you scared…" Shunsui spoke softly, his brown eyes closing as Coyote's arm wrapped around his waist.
"I used to think that I had nothing else to lose." Coyote answered simply.
"It's time to leave." Jushiro interrupted, unsurely patting Coyote on the back.
"We are going by carriage." Shunsui looked from Coyote to Jushiro thoughtfully. "We charter passage to Venice."
"But we are faster on foot." Coyote shook his head dismissively.
"We are not going to show them our abilities." Shunsui's voice was quiet but absolute and Jushiro and Coyote both nodded in understanding. "They have no idea what we are capable of, Grimmjow, he said that we each have different abilities. We cannot transform, we don't know when we are being watched…"
"We will go by carriage. We can sleep safely, we'll be protected from the elements and prying eyes but most importantly, they will learn we are headed for Venice and they will go there. And we aren't going to Venice."
"Understood." Jushiro pulled several strings from his pouch and handed them to Shunsui. "Go and request the carriage. Pay them extra not to disclose our destination. It will look more genuine that way."
Shunsui took the strings carefully and hurried from the room, his feet pounding on the staircase as he descended. Jushiro smiled at Coyote uneasily, unsure of how to reassure the other man. "Coyote," Jushiro began slowly. "I can't promise that nothing bad will happen, but I can tell you that they are human. Shunsui and I were trained for this exact purpose. No matter how talented they may be, a human is still a human…"
"Ukitake-san," Coyote exhaled heavily. "They said that they were from the church…"
"The church? The Roman Catholic church?" Jushiro asked, he was slowly being accustomed to western religion and their outright bloody reputations.
"I can only assume, what with their white uniforms and flashy crucifixes."
"Well, I have fought holy men in my home country. They fight just the same and die just the same." Jushiro replied with a shrug. "Blood spills regardless."
"If the Devil is real then God is real." Coyote said simply, total conviction in his eyes. "Don't you think the soldiers of God have the ability to smite us?"
"There is no reason to panic." Jushiro raised his hands peaceably. "We will protect you."
"Even if I deserve to die? Even if God himself wishes me dead?" Coyote spoke rapidly, spittle flying from his mouth. "I kill and kill and kill. I lie with man. I steal. I take the Lord's name in vain! I worship false idols! I sold my Goddamn Soul! I-"
Jushiro exhaled heavily as his palm connected with Coyote's cheek. "I'm sorry I hit you, but regain your senses. You are no longer a child. You are a man. You either stand as a man and face your obstacles or I will treat you as a child and discipline you as such."
"I'm ashamed." Coyote whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Our carriage is ready." Shunsui announced as he entered the room. He looked around the suite once more before taking the urn into his arms. "Let's go." The three men walked down the stairs slowly. Shunsui waved away the old proprietor and her grandson with a smile. "We really must go. Thank you for your hospitality."
"We hate to see you go so suddenly, Signores."
"Leaving town?" Jugram Haschwalth stood outside the tavern, his hands fidgeting inside of his heavy white cloak.
"Yes." Jushiro answered simply. He absently wondered how the man had even learned Korean at all.
"Please take this." Jugram offered a small brown bottle of tonic to Jushiro, a frown etched deeply on his face.
"What is that?" Shunsui asked in German impatiently.
"I come from a long lineage of doctors." Jugram shrugged without further explanation.
"Thank you." Jushiro nodded his head quickly.
"Take a spoonful every four hours." Jugram instructed, his long blonde hair falling over his shoulder.
"Who knows what the shit is." Shunsui snapped, snatching the bottle from Jushiro's hand and throwing it to the ground. The glass shattered and the medicine soaked into the stone. "You two get in the carriage."
"You have thrown away your own life, is that not enough? Your companion is ill. He is dying." Jugram's voice rose in volume, his pale cheeks flushing red with anger. Shunsui forced a smile as he shut the carriage door, blocking out the continuation of Jugram's rant.
"Why did you do that?" Jushiro asked after a long silence. The cobbled road of Rome made for a most uncomfortable carriage ride and Jushiro's back and neck ached.
"It could have been poison." Shunsui explained.
"What would be the purpose?" Jushiro questioned, his green eyes narrowing. "Even if it was poison, it wouldn't kill me… but what if it had helped?"
"It can't cure you…" Shunsui sighed. "You had consumption when I signed the contract…"
"It would have caused no harm." Jushiro shook his head in frustration.
"He's going to come after us. He's going to try to kill us." Shunsui spoke slowly, bewilderment evident on his face. "I suppose that makes no difference to you?"
"And I suppose my suffering and misery means nothing to you?" Jushiro retorted angrily. "As long as I'm weak I need you… right? Is that it?"
"We are all overexcited." Shunsui sighed heavily, wiping at his mouth. "Let's not fight."
"I want to fight." Jushiro snapped back.
"Well, I don't." Shunsui leaned forward in his seat, his head resting in his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't consider your feelings. I saw him as a threat to all three of us… but clearly, he's only after Coyote and I…"
They rode in silence as Rome disappeared into the horizon. Coyote frowned, disappointed that the city had held such little respite for them after all. He had already fallen asleep when Shunsui's hand brushed his knee. "You awake?"
"Yeah," Coyote murmured, his blue eyes snapping open. Night had already fallen and Coyote looked out the window at the stars longingly.
"We're getting out." Shunsui had barely finished speaking before the door to the carriage was swung open and Shunsui leapt out. Coyote watched him roll in the grass, surprised as a moment later Jushiro had joined him. Coyote cursed under his breath, pulling the door to the carriage shut. He braced himself, sliding one leg out of the small window. He took a deep breath and pushed off from the side of the carriage.
He hit the ground awkwardly, the carriage wheel rolling over his left arm and leg. The bones in his arm crunched loudly and he bit his lip to stifle his cry. The carriage continued onward, the driver completely unaware of the incident. He fell back into the grass and stared up at the night sky.
The next moment, Shunsui and Jushiro were standing above him offering him a hand. He gripped their hands, wincing as his left hand ached. They both patted him on the back before turning and heading down the hill, back in the direction they had come.
"Where are you going?" Coyote jogged after them. "Rome's that way."
"Ah. Yes." Shunsui replied enigmatically.
"We've just left Rome." Coyote spoke slowly, unsure of what Shunsui was thinking.
"Yes, and so have the Quincys." Shunsui winked at Coyote, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"You can't possibly be thinking of going back to Rome?" Coyote muttered in disbelief.
"I am." Shunsui answered simply. "We gave them a false lead, but they will anticipate that. There will undoubtedly be someone to meet the carriage in Venice. I also assume someone will be sent to Florence or Naples or Milan. Now do you think anyone will have stayed behind in Rome?"
"Genius." Coyote whistled lowly.
"It won't work for long," Jushiro interjected soberly. "But it will buy us time."
"I don't wanna run from these guys," Shunsui admitted. "I don't wanna be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life." Shunsui paused. "We're gonna fight."
"Can we fight them? It's a huge organization…" Coyote began uneasily.
"I want to go home." Jushiro's eyes met Coyote's for a brief moment and Coyote understood exactly what Jushiro meant. "I don't care what stands in my way, I will cut it down." Coyote nodded, wondering to himself what exactly had been said while he was asleep.