"It's hard to breathe." Said the boy as Tristan put more pressure on his back. "Again!" screamed Tristan as Kylar rushed towards him with a knife. He chopped at him sloppily, Tristan kicking the boy to the ground and making another shallow cut with his knife. "We're not dancing! We're making corpses! No special spinning, jumping, or kicks! We're making corpses, not dancing!"
"Good." Was all Tristan said. The boy screamed, more and more until his back was completely bruised.
"Why do I have to do this?" Whined the boy "it hurts."
"You said that you wanted to be stronger." Said Tristan grabbing needles. "In order for me to do that I need to dull your sense of pain."
"But, it hurts so bad." Said the boy, now sobbing.
"It's meant to." Said Tristan inserting needles into the boys hand.
"I hate you!" screamed the boy.
"Good." Said Tristan calmly. "Block everyone out, leave no emotions intact. Feel hate, or feel nothing. I will not allow anything else. Now, Kylar. Let me make you into something, magnificent" Tristan smiled as Kylar's screams echoed throughout the house.
"Rub the needle on the man's leg." Said Tristan handing the object to Kylar "this is contact poison. So you don't even have to stab him with it." Kylar took the needle without hesitation and headed into the thick crowd. He saw Kylar's head pop in and out of the crowd before disappearing completely. Tristan waited for ten minutes before Kylar appeared before him in the alley way. "That took too long. It should've been less than two minutes, so what made you take ten minutes?"
"I was looking for the culprit." Said Kylar
"What?" asked Tristan
"I said, I was looking for the culprit." Said Kylar with a smirk.
Tristan smiled menacingly "Who'd you frame?"
"Some women that I didn't like." Said Kylar.
"Any particular reason why?" asked Tristan
"She tried to take my kill." Said Kylar.
"So you made her take the fall." Said Tristan, chuckling a little.
"She wanted to kill him herself." Said Kylar "so why not let her get the credit."
"You're getting good." Said Tristan as Kylar began walking to the car "Too good. That means one day I'll have to kill you."
"Are you ready?" asked Tristan as he barged into the beach house with his bag.
"Ready for what?" asked Steven as he closed the refrigerator door.
"Remember when I said that I'd take you to a five star restaurant that's not in Empire City?" said Tristan grabbing Steven's hamburger backpack. "Well I finally found one. But it's quite far away from here. So we're gonna take a bus."
"But what about the gems?" asked Steven "won't they need us?"
"They already know." Said Tristan tossing Steven his bag. "That's why I can barge in here and take you with me."
"But I would expect them to protest against this." Said Steven putting his clothes in the bag.
"They did, until I told them that you really wanted this." Said Tristan, Steven following him out the door. "Until I told them about my possible end nearing." Muttered Tristan.
"I need to talk to you." Said Tristan walking up to Greg, who was clearly uncomfortable. "I understand that you don't trust me, and that's good."
"What?" said Greg, surprised.
"I've overstayed my welcome here." Said Tristan "It's about time I stop bringing my problems to you all."
"A-Are you leaving?" asked Greg.
"Yes." Said Tristan "but Steven doesn't know that. And I plan to have it stay that way."
"But, why?" asked Greg "I hate to admit it. But ever since you've come along, he's been really happy."
"Please don't make this any harder than it is." Said Tristan "I'll probably come back when I destroy my old life. That is if I'm myself."
"Huh?" said Greg, even more confused.
"Steven must never know this conversation happened." Said Tristan walking away "and neither should the gems."
"Hey!" said Greg "are you going against the Gem's? That's a really bad idea!"
Tristan smirked to himself as he and Steven got on the bus "I know."
"This place is amazing." Whispered Steven "I feel like I should raise my pinky whenever I drink."
"Please don't do that." Said Tristan chuckling "that'd be embarrassing."
"So why're we doing this so suddenly?" asked Steven "I was pretty sure that you'd plan this out with me."
"I wanted to surprise you." Said Tristan pushing his plate away. "I knew that this was important to you."
"All tasty foods are important to me." Said Steven with a large smile on his face. A smile that Tristan wouldn't see for a while.
"Steven." Said Tristan "I need you to follow me."
"Why?" asked Steven.
"Just do it." Said Tristan with a smile on his face. "It's the biggest surprise yet."
"Really?!" asked Steven following Tristan to the back of the restaurant. "Wait! Garnet…?" Tristan hit Steven in the back of the head. Knocking him out cold.
"Why'd you have to be so rough with him?" asked Garnet picking up Steven.
"Why do their have to be so many questions?" asked Tristan as he lit a cigarette.
"You shouldn't do that." Said Garnet.
"It doesn't affect me." Said Tristan taking a long draft of his cigarette. "Plus it's nice."
"It's not that it doesn't affect you." Said Garnet getting ready to leap "it just takes an unbelievable amount to cigarettes for it to affect you."
"Great." Said Tristan tossing the cigarette into a puddle. "At least you told me before I died."
"When will you be back?" asked Garnet. "He'll miss you, you know?"
"If all goes well, I'll be back in a month." Tristan sighed and looked at his phone before looking at the red car in the parking lot. "If I die, than keep lying to Steven."
"Why must you be so dramatic about this?" asked Garnet.
"Because it's believable." Said Tristan, looking over at Steven. His red eyes softening at the sight of him. "He knows that I'm a terrible person. So he'll think that I just left."
"Please be careful." Said Garnet, give Tristan a slight hug.
"Stop making this so difficult." Said Tristan hugging her back.
"Do you want me to tell her? About how you feel?" asked Garnet, removing her glasses.
"I don't want to play with her feelings." Said Tristan. "She just reminds me so much of…her."
"What's with you and Pearl's?" asked Garnet.
Tristan chuckled. "Don't ask me." Tristan began walking towards the car. "I just fell in love with one. And before I knew it, another started playing with my heart."
"Took you long enough." Said Keith. Rubbing his neck as he put a few guns down. "You say your goodbyes?"
Tristan said nothing as he grabbed his two Beretta's and slid them into the holsters underneath his armpits. Sliding his brand new black and red coat on. The ends slapping against the back of his knees and the sleeves sticking to his arms perfectly. Tristan looked at his appearance in the mirror, he always had a flare for the dramatic. And to him, there was no such thing as overdoing it. "What's with and the color red?" Asked Keith "that's the only color you refuse to take off."
"It reminds me of the thing I remember most, something that follows me wherever I go. So instead of trying to run away from it, I embraced it." Tristan looked over at Keith, his eyes sparkling with rage. "It reminds me of blood. My blood."