Twenty-Five

Today, earlier: It was my birthday (is still). I'm officially twenty. There wasn't a cake, since I didn't return home, and I was alone. I just sat at the library reading about Teen Pregnancy and other stuff involving bad relationships. I eventually came across a tip book on how to break up with the abusive, and that wasn't helping me a bit. The librarian announced the library was closing early due to a clearing out from the government, so yeah, I was curious enough to obey and walk down the streets, seeing people locking up shop and house. Nobody but I was on the streets, and I didn't hear anything but the soft whistle of the wind. Tee's egg was and is in my bag, slumped over my shoulder presently and previously. Low blue cap, pink shirt with elbow sleeves, red skirt and black flats; that's all I am and was. The vectors are and were hidden. Everything reminded me of a ghost down, now it's an execution. See the difference? I'm telling you, being the good girl is shameless. You'll see why. As I was beginning to think a Jack the Ripper the Second was roaming the streets, heavy tires squealing on the streets made me crouch own and hold my head. Man, were those loud and obnoxious.

"Hey you!" a gruff voice shouted. "You're not supposed to be out! There's a killer on the loose!"

"Your point is?" I raised a brow, straightening. "Look, you worry about your killer, and I'll worry about my life, got that?"

He froze at the sight of my face. "N-No way! It's her!"

I raised a brow and crossed my arms, leaning on my left leg. "What the fck are you blabbing about?"

"Freeze! Don't m-m-move!"

I blinked at the muzzle of a soldier's machine gun and partially understood. I mean how the heck did they know where I was? I pushed it away with two fingers and stared. "Look buddy, I was told if I didn't kill anyone, nobody would be shot. What do I get? Shot once or twice or even three times. I want an explanation and I want to know where the prck is that set this up."

He told me out of fear and made me promise not to kill him. I didn't…

…but let's just say I scream pretty loud.

I ran as fast as I could here, but even then that was slow. Aunt and Uncle went off to work I guess, or somewhere else since they aren't home and they certainly aren't dead. I stopped with wide watery eyes when I saw Ami being restrained, Amu on her knees with cuffs slicing up her wrists and the barrel of a gun aimed at her temple, seeing her face was at me. Her characters were flying around her like crazy, only a furious Kurama knowing they are and were there. "LUCY R-"

"Shut up!" the soldier shouted. "Bando!"

Bando (the bstard) laughed and pointed to the house. "You see that you horned freak? That's a human household. Being in there contaminated the residents…"

"LET ME GO YOU BSTARDS!"

The familiar voice made me gasp. Bando laughed darkly. "…and the little guest."

Ikuto was thrown out of the front yard and into the street where the squad and Amu and Kurama and Ami were at, bleeding in places that should NOT be bleeding and hacking up dark clots. He was clutching a tiny box coated with blood due to beating and I could tell someone shot at his thumb, seeing you could see the bone. He faced me with pained eyes, yet somewhat happy to see me alive. Then it turned to panic faster than any of this could have gone down. "KAEDE RUN!"

Someone beat the back of his head with the butt of their gun and he fell to the street, groaning in pain and hacking up the most disgusting clots I could ever see in my life, and I've been in a facility where they torture my kind! I ran over. "STOP IT! STOP! STOP! STOP!" I screamed.

Bando aimed at me, the night falling faster than usual in my opinion. "Oh yeah? Why?"

I looked at Ami's balling face, Amu's panic/worry/sad one, and Ikuto's pained and everything in Amu's face. I took a deep breath and held it, save the big puffy cheeks. "I'll give."

"WHAT?" Ikuto screamed.

"KAEDE DON'T!" Amu cried. "YOU CAN'T! THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

I tried my best to ignore them. "You can kill me, torture me, whatever! Just don't hurt them! Don't destroy this house! Don't kill my family!"

Bando laughed coldly. "Oh maybe I will just take you up on that offer btch…"

"THIS IS MADNESS!" Kurama roared. "YOU WILL NOT TERMINATE HER!"

"Why? Do you sympathize her?" Bando laughed. "Ready when you are," he turned to the firing guy. "Make sure my bullet lands first."

"NO!" Ikuto struggled. "KAEDE! KAEDE! KAEDE FCKING LISTEN TO ME GD DMNIT!"

I walked up in front of the house, closing the gate. I stood off the curb and spread my body out, arms outstretched to their fullest extent and my legs spread at a decent level. I held my head up and felt the security lights they held thrash extra heat on my body. This was it. I was going to die.